If you want to keep following my weight loss journey, please visit the new blog, Miss Fat Girl Blog, which covers a wide range of weight loss ideas, even for those who have not had bariatric surgery.
I also vlog on YouTube - my channel is LysMyMiss.
Sorry for any difficulties this may cause!
XoXo,
Lyssa
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Monday, April 22, 2013
Count you Carbs! (and Calories)
Oh no! I literally just finished writing a huge post and it's all GONE! Well, I hate re-writing stuff so I'm going to have to come back to this one later. Sorry :(
The Time Leading Up To Surgery
Here it is, the end of April of the year 2013 and I am so behind on giving ya'll the scoop about my surgery. Here is what's been going on the passed few months. Feel free to ask any questions! I am an open book and will answer anything, no matter how personal, if it will help you make a decision.
Where the Weight Came From
I've struggled with my weight for most of my life. When I was a kid, I was always the chubby one. I remember a time when my mom actually took me to a doctor and asked her how to get me to lose the weight because I was lazy and wouldn't exercise (she had at one time offered to pay my sisters and I to walk on the treadmill. It wasn't a significant amount and I was too lazy to even earn a couple bucks.... the treadmill was right next to the couch in the tv room. I chose the couch). The doctor told her that if she would limit my food intake, I would grow into my weight. I was 12 years old and 198 lbs. (I remember this because the paper it was written on hung on the wall for a decade). My mom would give me significantly smaller portions than the rest of the family. I'd watch my two skinny, high metabolism sisters eat a big dinner while I got less. I don't remember every actually being hungry, but I do remember feeling picked on and that's when I started to build resentment towards my mother. Even the kitchen pantry and fridge had locks on it. Thus began my life of depression! I know my mother meant well, but I can already think of several other approaches that would have been better.
By age 15, I had grown a few inches and lost weight. I was down to 119 lbs and looked borderline anorexic. I was eating smaller portions and used to it (the kitchen was no longer on lock down), but I was still not eating the right foods. No one had taught me. My whole family ate fattening foods on a regular basis (including many home-cooked meals). At school, I would eat a thing of fries and a carton of milk for lunch every day. Occasionally I would have a soda, but I was never a big soda drinker (I dont like the carbonation. I actually prefer flat soda).
By 16, I had my first job at Bakers Square. The food and pies are AMAZING and the cooks always cooked my meals just how I liked. I never brought food with me to work. I would eat what I ordered from them and was always taking pies home. I had also began dating. Steve, the boy I was dating and another lucky high-metabolism person, like my sisters, was always taking me out to eat burgers, cheese fries, and pizza. The combination of the two began to catch up with me and I bounced between 150/160 for the next few years. I remember one night at work, the seam of the butt on my pants split. My manager had actually told me to stop eating so much. I was humiliated (fortunately, that manager is gone and only the one I have fond memories of still works there).
At age 18, I moved out the summer of high school graduation and moved to Utah for my first year of college. I was ordering pizza constantly and cooking lots of baked potatoes smothered in broccoli cheese soup and butter, pizza, chicken strips (my fav) and fries with 'Some Dudes Fry Sauce' (only available out there. Good thing I don't live there anymore because that stuff is addicting). A roommate of mine, Karla, convinced me to join the gym with her. Neither of us had cars so we'd walk several blocks to the gym. On the way, we'd pass a Carl's Jr. (the west's version of our midwest Hardees), and I'd stop and eat there several times. One time, I even took a burger with me to the gym and at it in the locker room! Yep, seriously. At the time I thought it was funny; now, it's an embarrassing, shameful story.
My time in Utah stayed around 170 lbs. I didn't even go to the gym much. I think the only reason why I didn't gain a ton of weight was because I didn't have a car and I lived in a mountain. I had to walk uphill for 6 blocks to get groceries, which I'd buy TONS of, so I'd walk home carrying what must have been 50 lbs of food.
Towards the end of my academic year, I found some people I went to high school with online and chatted with them. One of them was best friends, and roommates, with the guy I had a crush on since 7th grade but had never spoken to. He introduced us and we chatted every day/night for hours. I moved back home as soon as I could, where I ended up having to have surgery to remove my gallbladder that August. I spent the semester at a local community college and then convinced my parents to let me move an hour and a half away to go to school where my dream guy was.
He (Michael) and I began dating and very quickly fell in love. He was so amazing to me and I learned alot from him. However, we distracted one another from school. He was still able to pull off decent grades and graduate with his bachelors. Unfortunately, I was too distracted and landed only with a non-transferable Associates. I moved in with him and his friends, where I'd cook for them all. The guys ate such huge portions that I began eating the same. They'd all eat their own pizzas as well. I couldn't share with any of them since they each ate a full one, so I'd have to order my own... which I'd end up eating all of as well. Horseshoes (a famous meal from my hometown) became a regular meal. I followed him back to our hometown and we continued to eat lots of fast food and junk. He was super athletic and trained hard in the gym. Towards the end of our 5 1/2 year relationship, he started getting on my case more and more about my weight. I was also on new medication to help with insomnia. The meds would make me get up and eat a crap load in my sleep. I wasn't even aware of it until one day I had asked him where all the chicken nuggets went and he said, "I yelled at your a couple nights ago about it. You were eating the entire bag and wouldn't stop!" I didn't believe that I was doing that in my sleep, and I didn't believe him either. I figured he ate it all and was just being a jerk because he was always looking to get on my case about weight.
He began rejecting me and ignoring me. Telling me that I needed to dress up even to run an errand because you never knew who I could run into and he didn't want his friends or coworkers seeing me not at my best. He wanted my hair done a certain way, and I would try and try but it was never right. When I'd dress up and try to get him to acknowledge it, he would say, "What? Am I supposed to say congratulations for being normal?" I would go to bed alone at night while he played video games. I'd always have dinner ready for him when he got home from work (except the occasional forgetting an ingredient, in which he would get super pissed at me for even asking him to go to the store and pick it up real quick. He'd also get annoyed at me for asking for help with draining a huge pot of noodles). Soon as he got done eating, it was straight to video games. I got tired of going to bed alone and never having any time with him, so there were nights when I actually would lay on the floor next to his gaming chair and fall asleep so I could be by him. Still, he never acknowledged me. The depression grew dramatically and I would begin to say things I didn't mean like, "I hate you" and "your a jerk", where he'd throw a "bitch" back at me. There were times I would stay at the gym from 8:00 pm to 3:00 in the morning and he would never say "good job". He'd ignore it and continue to point out my weight. The depression just made me feel worse and worse and I turned to food more and more to make up for the attention he refused to give me. I had already forgave him once for cheating on me (and later found out he was still talking to the girl and tried to hide it from me and expected me to just trust him again automatically), then, one day at work, I just broke down with one of the random panic attacks I was experiencing around that time. I texted him about it, hoping for him to give me some sort of moral support. Instead, he text me back saying it was over (the first time he dumped me was over Instant Messaging, but he would still have sex with me, leading me on. When the girl he had cheated on me with dumped him, he took me back... I should have known better. It was less than a year until he cheated on me and dumped me again). I went home from work in tears and took enough Xanax to help me relax and go to sleep. The next morning, he told me I needed to pack up my stuff. I couldn't believe it. I started screaming at him. He was really the one dumping me!? And over a freakin text message when I needed him!? I wasn't even satisfied in the tears he had in his eyes. He couldn't even look at me. It took all I had not to clock him in the face. He left for work and I packed up my stuff as quick as I could.
I moved back in with my parents and took two weeks off work. I did what I did during our last breakup (which had only lasted a couple months and I had also dropped a good chunk of weight then), I made a profile on a dating site and cried non stop. I met this nice, older (40), but still pretty attractive guy named Daniel. I still can't believe he was willing to listen to me cry and blubber on. We still talk to this day. Anyways, the only guys I had actually gone out with from those sites ended up having only one thing on the mind.
After a couple months, I found a home in a neighborhood nearby that was up for rent and the price was unbeatable (which I later began to regret but that's another story). I moved in and since no one could say anything about what I ate, I spent all my money (including credit) on fast food and candy. In the course of 1 year, I spent nearly $10,000 on food. True story. I had then jumped from 230 (when Michael dumped me) to nearly 300 in that one year. I began having health problems. I was on a never ending period for multiple months and went to the gym one day and returned with swollen feet and ankles that wouldn't go away. My doctor told me I was pre-diabetic. My mom had also just been diagnosed as pre-diabetic. I had heard horror stories about diabetics losing body parts, so I quickly began cutting back on sugar (but not fat or salty stuff). I was able to get out of the pre-diabetic range. Unfortunately, my mom still refuses to even try and is now a Type 2 Diabetic with a world of problems. However, during that time, I was making several trips to the doctors office for appointments and tests. I gave my employer the required doctor notes to be excused, but was still fired and couldn't even get Unemployment or Disability. I had to move back in with my parents.
For awhile, my older sister was baking a cake each week. My mom fills empty prescription bottles with candy and also has issues eating in her sleep (we often find her with melted chocolate on the bed or a hot dog hanging out of her mouth). I had discovered that I was eating in my sleep when I woke up to a million candy wrappers around me.
Fast Forward... I've now been living with my parents and my older sister (my younger sister living in Cali and is prob the only child my parents are proud of) and it's been about 2 1/2 years since the break up. It took me a good two years to quit being sad about it and wishing I could fix things... as if it were completely my fault. I've finally realized its NOT completely my fault and I do NOT want him back. I admire the things he was in the beginning of our relationship, but as for the person he became, I hope he never puts another woman through what he put me through. No one deserves that pain. We had just been looking at buying a house together only like a month before he dumped me and went on a cruise with another girl (the same one his parents invited us on that he made every excuse in the book to not go on with me). Yes, as you can tell I'm still very angry about it and will be for awhile. I would be happy if he could just admit he was a jerk, but I know that will NEVER happen. He has too much pride.
Anyways, my mom eats like crap. My older sister eats the worst of us all. She's average size now, but has a bit of a tummy. I calculated each of our meals at dinner once and she topped us all wither over 1,000 calories, which she followed up with ice cream even after I told her of her calorie total. And the next day she came home with a bag of donuts! I am post surgery now, but still have the same struggles. My family eats junk and it's hard to eat healthy when I'm surrounded by junk. In fact, I get flat out angry when I see someone (in my family) eating bad. They just don't care at all. I know I can't control what they eat and I wish I didn't get so mad about it, but I do.
My dad pays for most of my groceries, and everyone puts what they want on the list. However, my stuff is often either eaten or thrown out to make room for more of their crap. For example, I'll get the ingredients for something I want to make. I'll even write my name on everything, but still, a family member will take it for something they want to make, thus ruining whatever recipes I had in mind and I'm left with only junk frozen food or macaroni options. The only thing I've manage to keep people off is my drinks (see my "sex appeal" entry), unless they decide to just flat out throw it away and put another one of their sugary juices in its place. I even was given a second fridge in the basement to use, which isn't easy on my knees to go up and down the stairs for constantly. Even then, my sister has recently taken it over. She's become a serious junk food addict (even her fridge looks like a grocery store). Part of me wants her to gain a few pounds to see what it's like to stress about weight, but I don't think that'll ever happen.
Mom continues to have health problems but her excuse is, "We have good health insurance". Not to mention, she's never really worked and dad pays for EVERYTHING. If she had to pay for even one of her own medical bills, I bet she'd be singing a different tune.
Dad is the healthiest of us all. He's at a healthy weight and eats decent. He still eats fast food, but he does balance it with a lot of fish and smaller portions.
Making the Decision
With all the stress my weight was causing on me emotionally, as well as physically (I was even beginning to have problems with waking up in the middle of the night, gasping for air), a friend of mine, Lacie, suggested I look into bariatric surgery. Someone she knew had it (her aunt I believe, and I believe it was Gastric Bypass) and was successful with it. Lacie is a blond haired, bright blue eyes, big dimples, super tan girl that I compare to a Barbie doll cuz she's so freakin' perfect (I've wanted to look like her ever since I met her in middle school. I actually used to be super intimidated by her but as I grew up, I've gotten over MOST of my shyness and we chat quit a bit... she's even helping me find a job so I can move out again!) If she told me, "I drink this and eat this and do this to look the way I do", I would've jumped on it. She could've easily sold me placebos for $100 and I WOULD HAVE DONE IT! However, I shot done the weight loss surgery quickly. I said no way, that's for people who are like 400+ pounds (as I was already above 300 and still gaining) and it's just a quick fix. I was determined that I was going to earn it and not have some shameful surgery. As the weeks went by, I found a show called "My 600 lb life" which was a short documentary series (you can actually find it on YouTube now... Melissa is my favorite. I think she's every one's favorite actually) where a few people were followed and had gastric bypass surgery. The show followed their successes and even failures. It showed that it wasn't easy and it's not a quick fix... you can even gain weight with the surgery! I started looking into it more, researching the various bariatric surgery options online, making sure my text sources were credible. I had even followed vlogs on YouTube. My primary physician encouraged me not to do that, but I did anyway. I know people are more likely to post a video complaining than they are to say "this was great". However, I got several 'this was great's and enough information to actually inquire more questions for me to ask my doctor and surgeon about. I thought it was pretty easy to decide which surgery I wanted, the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy. I went to my doctor and told her what I wanted. She told me what to expect and referred me to a surgeon. I've known my primary physician all my life so I didn't even look into specific surgeons. I knew she would recommend someone and I would be perfectly happy with her recommendations. I was at the end of my time where my dad's insurance would cover me and I was worried the new one wouldn't cover it. My new insurance was already difficult to find because of my weight (other insurance companies wouldn't take me). I trusted my dad to get me the best 'deal' out there (while also actually helping to cover all my prescriptions), and I was worried this 'deal' wouldn't cover bariatric surgery. Fortunately, it did.
The Months Following Up
I was surprised my new insurance not only covered the surgery, but they also DID NOT require me to do a six month, doctor supervised diet. However, the Bariatric Team for my surgeon does require that you prove yourself a worthy candidate for them first. At the time, I was asking my dad if I could just go to Mexico and do it already (my grandmother, his mother, had recently passed away and he was using money she left him to cover the appointments not covered by insurance, or the extra amount after insurance). He told me he didn't feel safe with me going to Mexico for surgery. Luckily, I have a wonderful bariatric team and I am grateful that I stuck with them.
Linda, my Physical Therapist, evaluated my stamina and began working with me on making out a workout plan. She would always tell me to go slow. However, I'm a "0 to 200" (as my Nutritionist called it), so I tend to wanna jump in full force as if Jillian Michaels were watching. When I do that, I always get burnt out and Linda knew that would happen before even getting to know me. She would only let me walk with some stretches she assigned me for specific parts (specifically my lower back pain).
I also met with Wendi, a social worker. I was super nervous about her. I had heard from support groups that she was a real ball buster. I sat as straight as I could in those appointments. I answered honestly, but admit I may have put a slightly more positive spin on some things. I didn't want her thinking I was too depressed to lose weight, because I already knew my depression was getting tons better. Turned out, she's super adorable and so nice (everyone on the bariatric team is nice! There's no reason to be afraid... they truly are there to help.) What's funny is now I email her like "I need advice!" rather then be nervous I'll get in trouble for feeling a certain way.
Tiffany is the nurse I had a consultation with. I did not see her again until I was awake from surgery months later and now I have follow up appointments with her. She and my nutritionist talked about my problems with IBS, which I had suffered with for YEARS (no doctor prescribed any medication that helped), but these two immediately were like, "oh yeah, you need this..." and it WORKED! That alone was worth a million bucks! I'm so happy not to have to deal with that anymore. I had no idea these girls would make that problem go away.
Angie is my nutritionist. I've seen her the most. I really struggled with meeting the requirements in the beginning but, as she calls it, I had my "AHA!" moment. We're looking to find it again because now, post surgery, I'm still having some struggles (I think it will be better when I'm living on my own again).
For the next couple of months, I was to 'build my plate' with 50% non starchy vegetables, 25% starch, and 25% protein. At first I thought 'there's no way I'll be full if I'm mostly just eating some leaves!", but it does work! I even crossed off the starch because I was fine without it. However, Angie told me it was important to have some carb/starch with protein, so I put that back in. Weight began falling off, and mostly just because of the diet (I didn't go to the gym everytime. I felt like if all I could do was walk, it was pointless.. once again, I'm a 0 to 200 kind of gal). As they say, it's 80% nutrition... they were right!
The PreOp Diet
Two weeks before surgery (which was scheduled for December 17, 2012), I was put on a preop diet. This diet is different from surgeon to surgeon (I've learned this chatting with Sleeve patients from around the world in a Facebook group), but they still share the basics. I was to consume as much of approved liquids as possible (crystal light, Gatorade, chicken broth, etc) and I could have raw or steamed non starchy veggies. Angie told me I couldn't have any dressing, but I could make an approved dip.... greek yogurt with ranch seasoning. I think most Greek yogurts are sour, but the plain Chaboni (sp?) brand was perfect. I mixed with just a couple teaspoons of the Hidden Valley Ranch dry seasoning mix. I couldn't stand steamed veggies without salt and butter, so I had alot of this homemade, approved dip with raw broccoli, cauliflower, carrots. I even munched on plain sugar snap peas. Yum! I was also approved for a limited amount of sugar free jello or sugar free pudding. I was to also drink protein shakes.
After surgery, you'll be drinking lots of protein shakes, and since you dont want to buy a full sized container of something you dont like, Angie suggested I purchase some protein shake samples to try during my preop diet, so I could decided which I liked and which I didnt.
The preop diet, in my opinion, is the worst part of the whole thing. I told them I never cheated, and that was the one straight lie I told my bariatric team, and I feel super bad about it. I ate plenty of cottage cheese (even though they said it wasn't allowed) and plain crackers. I also had some cheese (the stuff on a block that you cut yourself... not the pre-cut or pre-shredded junk filled with chemicals and other fillers/preservatives). My mom came home with a huge fried chicken dinner and the smell drove me wild, especially since I was so sick of the same stuff over and over. I stuffed my face with about half of a friend chicken breast... or wing... I don't remember. I remember I had grease all around my mouth and hands because I literally just went caveman on the stuff. I got sick to my stomach afterwards. I had also gotten a thing of Chicken Selects from McDonalds once with some fries and honey mustard. It also made me sick. I'm not sure if it's just me or not, but if I don't eat greasy or 'heavy' foods for awhile, and then suddenly I do, they make me sick. Maybe this was part of the IBS thing? I dunno... I didn't get my IBS medicine until I had told them about it AFTER surgery).
I had heard horror stories online of patients not getting their surgeries because the surgeon went it and decided their liver was still too big. I denied cheating and figured, "if they've already got the surgery started, they're more likely to go ahead and do it than back out." I was lucky that the written report I was given after surgery said my liver looked good. I do NOT encourage anyone to cheat. However, I know it's super hard and it'll make you want to binge like crazy, so I say if you just HAVE to cheat, stick with fat free or low fat cottage cheese and plain crackers.
The Night Before
The day before surgery I had to drink a laxative. I thought it was going to be gross, but it tasted alot like Sprite.... only a little more sour. I also thought I'd be on the toilet forever and cramping. However, since I had ate so much less for the previous two weeks on the pre-op diet, there really wasn't much to get rid of in my intestines. It wasn't the horrifying experience I thought it would be.
I was so excited I couldn't sleep. People say that if you say you weren't scared, you're lying. I really wasn't though. There was one moment where I had some concern that they would think I was asleep but wasn't really. I have such a high tolerance on sleeping pills with my insomnia and that was where the concern came from. However... (if my Speech teacher is reading this, she's prob got a tally going on how many times I say certain words, like 'however'. SORRY MRS PROTZ!), my dad reminded me that my mom also has insomnia and takes a whole lot more sleeping pills than me and has had multiple surgeries without any problem. After that, I was fine and just couldn't wait to get there and get my sleeve!
Where the Weight Came From
I've struggled with my weight for most of my life. When I was a kid, I was always the chubby one. I remember a time when my mom actually took me to a doctor and asked her how to get me to lose the weight because I was lazy and wouldn't exercise (she had at one time offered to pay my sisters and I to walk on the treadmill. It wasn't a significant amount and I was too lazy to even earn a couple bucks.... the treadmill was right next to the couch in the tv room. I chose the couch). The doctor told her that if she would limit my food intake, I would grow into my weight. I was 12 years old and 198 lbs. (I remember this because the paper it was written on hung on the wall for a decade). My mom would give me significantly smaller portions than the rest of the family. I'd watch my two skinny, high metabolism sisters eat a big dinner while I got less. I don't remember every actually being hungry, but I do remember feeling picked on and that's when I started to build resentment towards my mother. Even the kitchen pantry and fridge had locks on it. Thus began my life of depression! I know my mother meant well, but I can already think of several other approaches that would have been better.
By age 15, I had grown a few inches and lost weight. I was down to 119 lbs and looked borderline anorexic. I was eating smaller portions and used to it (the kitchen was no longer on lock down), but I was still not eating the right foods. No one had taught me. My whole family ate fattening foods on a regular basis (including many home-cooked meals). At school, I would eat a thing of fries and a carton of milk for lunch every day. Occasionally I would have a soda, but I was never a big soda drinker (I dont like the carbonation. I actually prefer flat soda).
By 16, I had my first job at Bakers Square. The food and pies are AMAZING and the cooks always cooked my meals just how I liked. I never brought food with me to work. I would eat what I ordered from them and was always taking pies home. I had also began dating. Steve, the boy I was dating and another lucky high-metabolism person, like my sisters, was always taking me out to eat burgers, cheese fries, and pizza. The combination of the two began to catch up with me and I bounced between 150/160 for the next few years. I remember one night at work, the seam of the butt on my pants split. My manager had actually told me to stop eating so much. I was humiliated (fortunately, that manager is gone and only the one I have fond memories of still works there).
At age 18, I moved out the summer of high school graduation and moved to Utah for my first year of college. I was ordering pizza constantly and cooking lots of baked potatoes smothered in broccoli cheese soup and butter, pizza, chicken strips (my fav) and fries with 'Some Dudes Fry Sauce' (only available out there. Good thing I don't live there anymore because that stuff is addicting). A roommate of mine, Karla, convinced me to join the gym with her. Neither of us had cars so we'd walk several blocks to the gym. On the way, we'd pass a Carl's Jr. (the west's version of our midwest Hardees), and I'd stop and eat there several times. One time, I even took a burger with me to the gym and at it in the locker room! Yep, seriously. At the time I thought it was funny; now, it's an embarrassing, shameful story.
My time in Utah stayed around 170 lbs. I didn't even go to the gym much. I think the only reason why I didn't gain a ton of weight was because I didn't have a car and I lived in a mountain. I had to walk uphill for 6 blocks to get groceries, which I'd buy TONS of, so I'd walk home carrying what must have been 50 lbs of food.
Towards the end of my academic year, I found some people I went to high school with online and chatted with them. One of them was best friends, and roommates, with the guy I had a crush on since 7th grade but had never spoken to. He introduced us and we chatted every day/night for hours. I moved back home as soon as I could, where I ended up having to have surgery to remove my gallbladder that August. I spent the semester at a local community college and then convinced my parents to let me move an hour and a half away to go to school where my dream guy was.
He (Michael) and I began dating and very quickly fell in love. He was so amazing to me and I learned alot from him. However, we distracted one another from school. He was still able to pull off decent grades and graduate with his bachelors. Unfortunately, I was too distracted and landed only with a non-transferable Associates. I moved in with him and his friends, where I'd cook for them all. The guys ate such huge portions that I began eating the same. They'd all eat their own pizzas as well. I couldn't share with any of them since they each ate a full one, so I'd have to order my own... which I'd end up eating all of as well. Horseshoes (a famous meal from my hometown) became a regular meal. I followed him back to our hometown and we continued to eat lots of fast food and junk. He was super athletic and trained hard in the gym. Towards the end of our 5 1/2 year relationship, he started getting on my case more and more about my weight. I was also on new medication to help with insomnia. The meds would make me get up and eat a crap load in my sleep. I wasn't even aware of it until one day I had asked him where all the chicken nuggets went and he said, "I yelled at your a couple nights ago about it. You were eating the entire bag and wouldn't stop!" I didn't believe that I was doing that in my sleep, and I didn't believe him either. I figured he ate it all and was just being a jerk because he was always looking to get on my case about weight.
He began rejecting me and ignoring me. Telling me that I needed to dress up even to run an errand because you never knew who I could run into and he didn't want his friends or coworkers seeing me not at my best. He wanted my hair done a certain way, and I would try and try but it was never right. When I'd dress up and try to get him to acknowledge it, he would say, "What? Am I supposed to say congratulations for being normal?" I would go to bed alone at night while he played video games. I'd always have dinner ready for him when he got home from work (except the occasional forgetting an ingredient, in which he would get super pissed at me for even asking him to go to the store and pick it up real quick. He'd also get annoyed at me for asking for help with draining a huge pot of noodles). Soon as he got done eating, it was straight to video games. I got tired of going to bed alone and never having any time with him, so there were nights when I actually would lay on the floor next to his gaming chair and fall asleep so I could be by him. Still, he never acknowledged me. The depression grew dramatically and I would begin to say things I didn't mean like, "I hate you" and "your a jerk", where he'd throw a "bitch" back at me. There were times I would stay at the gym from 8:00 pm to 3:00 in the morning and he would never say "good job". He'd ignore it and continue to point out my weight. The depression just made me feel worse and worse and I turned to food more and more to make up for the attention he refused to give me. I had already forgave him once for cheating on me (and later found out he was still talking to the girl and tried to hide it from me and expected me to just trust him again automatically), then, one day at work, I just broke down with one of the random panic attacks I was experiencing around that time. I texted him about it, hoping for him to give me some sort of moral support. Instead, he text me back saying it was over (the first time he dumped me was over Instant Messaging, but he would still have sex with me, leading me on. When the girl he had cheated on me with dumped him, he took me back... I should have known better. It was less than a year until he cheated on me and dumped me again). I went home from work in tears and took enough Xanax to help me relax and go to sleep. The next morning, he told me I needed to pack up my stuff. I couldn't believe it. I started screaming at him. He was really the one dumping me!? And over a freakin text message when I needed him!? I wasn't even satisfied in the tears he had in his eyes. He couldn't even look at me. It took all I had not to clock him in the face. He left for work and I packed up my stuff as quick as I could.
I moved back in with my parents and took two weeks off work. I did what I did during our last breakup (which had only lasted a couple months and I had also dropped a good chunk of weight then), I made a profile on a dating site and cried non stop. I met this nice, older (40), but still pretty attractive guy named Daniel. I still can't believe he was willing to listen to me cry and blubber on. We still talk to this day. Anyways, the only guys I had actually gone out with from those sites ended up having only one thing on the mind.
After a couple months, I found a home in a neighborhood nearby that was up for rent and the price was unbeatable (which I later began to regret but that's another story). I moved in and since no one could say anything about what I ate, I spent all my money (including credit) on fast food and candy. In the course of 1 year, I spent nearly $10,000 on food. True story. I had then jumped from 230 (when Michael dumped me) to nearly 300 in that one year. I began having health problems. I was on a never ending period for multiple months and went to the gym one day and returned with swollen feet and ankles that wouldn't go away. My doctor told me I was pre-diabetic. My mom had also just been diagnosed as pre-diabetic. I had heard horror stories about diabetics losing body parts, so I quickly began cutting back on sugar (but not fat or salty stuff). I was able to get out of the pre-diabetic range. Unfortunately, my mom still refuses to even try and is now a Type 2 Diabetic with a world of problems. However, during that time, I was making several trips to the doctors office for appointments and tests. I gave my employer the required doctor notes to be excused, but was still fired and couldn't even get Unemployment or Disability. I had to move back in with my parents.
For awhile, my older sister was baking a cake each week. My mom fills empty prescription bottles with candy and also has issues eating in her sleep (we often find her with melted chocolate on the bed or a hot dog hanging out of her mouth). I had discovered that I was eating in my sleep when I woke up to a million candy wrappers around me.
Fast Forward... I've now been living with my parents and my older sister (my younger sister living in Cali and is prob the only child my parents are proud of) and it's been about 2 1/2 years since the break up. It took me a good two years to quit being sad about it and wishing I could fix things... as if it were completely my fault. I've finally realized its NOT completely my fault and I do NOT want him back. I admire the things he was in the beginning of our relationship, but as for the person he became, I hope he never puts another woman through what he put me through. No one deserves that pain. We had just been looking at buying a house together only like a month before he dumped me and went on a cruise with another girl (the same one his parents invited us on that he made every excuse in the book to not go on with me). Yes, as you can tell I'm still very angry about it and will be for awhile. I would be happy if he could just admit he was a jerk, but I know that will NEVER happen. He has too much pride.
Anyways, my mom eats like crap. My older sister eats the worst of us all. She's average size now, but has a bit of a tummy. I calculated each of our meals at dinner once and she topped us all wither over 1,000 calories, which she followed up with ice cream even after I told her of her calorie total. And the next day she came home with a bag of donuts! I am post surgery now, but still have the same struggles. My family eats junk and it's hard to eat healthy when I'm surrounded by junk. In fact, I get flat out angry when I see someone (in my family) eating bad. They just don't care at all. I know I can't control what they eat and I wish I didn't get so mad about it, but I do.
My dad pays for most of my groceries, and everyone puts what they want on the list. However, my stuff is often either eaten or thrown out to make room for more of their crap. For example, I'll get the ingredients for something I want to make. I'll even write my name on everything, but still, a family member will take it for something they want to make, thus ruining whatever recipes I had in mind and I'm left with only junk frozen food or macaroni options. The only thing I've manage to keep people off is my drinks (see my "sex appeal" entry), unless they decide to just flat out throw it away and put another one of their sugary juices in its place. I even was given a second fridge in the basement to use, which isn't easy on my knees to go up and down the stairs for constantly. Even then, my sister has recently taken it over. She's become a serious junk food addict (even her fridge looks like a grocery store). Part of me wants her to gain a few pounds to see what it's like to stress about weight, but I don't think that'll ever happen.
Mom continues to have health problems but her excuse is, "We have good health insurance". Not to mention, she's never really worked and dad pays for EVERYTHING. If she had to pay for even one of her own medical bills, I bet she'd be singing a different tune.
Dad is the healthiest of us all. He's at a healthy weight and eats decent. He still eats fast food, but he does balance it with a lot of fish and smaller portions.
Making the Decision
With all the stress my weight was causing on me emotionally, as well as physically (I was even beginning to have problems with waking up in the middle of the night, gasping for air), a friend of mine, Lacie, suggested I look into bariatric surgery. Someone she knew had it (her aunt I believe, and I believe it was Gastric Bypass) and was successful with it. Lacie is a blond haired, bright blue eyes, big dimples, super tan girl that I compare to a Barbie doll cuz she's so freakin' perfect (I've wanted to look like her ever since I met her in middle school. I actually used to be super intimidated by her but as I grew up, I've gotten over MOST of my shyness and we chat quit a bit... she's even helping me find a job so I can move out again!) If she told me, "I drink this and eat this and do this to look the way I do", I would've jumped on it. She could've easily sold me placebos for $100 and I WOULD HAVE DONE IT! However, I shot done the weight loss surgery quickly. I said no way, that's for people who are like 400+ pounds (as I was already above 300 and still gaining) and it's just a quick fix. I was determined that I was going to earn it and not have some shameful surgery. As the weeks went by, I found a show called "My 600 lb life" which was a short documentary series (you can actually find it on YouTube now... Melissa is my favorite. I think she's every one's favorite actually) where a few people were followed and had gastric bypass surgery. The show followed their successes and even failures. It showed that it wasn't easy and it's not a quick fix... you can even gain weight with the surgery! I started looking into it more, researching the various bariatric surgery options online, making sure my text sources were credible. I had even followed vlogs on YouTube. My primary physician encouraged me not to do that, but I did anyway. I know people are more likely to post a video complaining than they are to say "this was great". However, I got several 'this was great's and enough information to actually inquire more questions for me to ask my doctor and surgeon about. I thought it was pretty easy to decide which surgery I wanted, the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy. I went to my doctor and told her what I wanted. She told me what to expect and referred me to a surgeon. I've known my primary physician all my life so I didn't even look into specific surgeons. I knew she would recommend someone and I would be perfectly happy with her recommendations. I was at the end of my time where my dad's insurance would cover me and I was worried the new one wouldn't cover it. My new insurance was already difficult to find because of my weight (other insurance companies wouldn't take me). I trusted my dad to get me the best 'deal' out there (while also actually helping to cover all my prescriptions), and I was worried this 'deal' wouldn't cover bariatric surgery. Fortunately, it did.
The Months Following Up
I was surprised my new insurance not only covered the surgery, but they also DID NOT require me to do a six month, doctor supervised diet. However, the Bariatric Team for my surgeon does require that you prove yourself a worthy candidate for them first. At the time, I was asking my dad if I could just go to Mexico and do it already (my grandmother, his mother, had recently passed away and he was using money she left him to cover the appointments not covered by insurance, or the extra amount after insurance). He told me he didn't feel safe with me going to Mexico for surgery. Luckily, I have a wonderful bariatric team and I am grateful that I stuck with them.
Linda, my Physical Therapist, evaluated my stamina and began working with me on making out a workout plan. She would always tell me to go slow. However, I'm a "0 to 200" (as my Nutritionist called it), so I tend to wanna jump in full force as if Jillian Michaels were watching. When I do that, I always get burnt out and Linda knew that would happen before even getting to know me. She would only let me walk with some stretches she assigned me for specific parts (specifically my lower back pain).
I also met with Wendi, a social worker. I was super nervous about her. I had heard from support groups that she was a real ball buster. I sat as straight as I could in those appointments. I answered honestly, but admit I may have put a slightly more positive spin on some things. I didn't want her thinking I was too depressed to lose weight, because I already knew my depression was getting tons better. Turned out, she's super adorable and so nice (everyone on the bariatric team is nice! There's no reason to be afraid... they truly are there to help.) What's funny is now I email her like "I need advice!" rather then be nervous I'll get in trouble for feeling a certain way.
Tiffany is the nurse I had a consultation with. I did not see her again until I was awake from surgery months later and now I have follow up appointments with her. She and my nutritionist talked about my problems with IBS, which I had suffered with for YEARS (no doctor prescribed any medication that helped), but these two immediately were like, "oh yeah, you need this..." and it WORKED! That alone was worth a million bucks! I'm so happy not to have to deal with that anymore. I had no idea these girls would make that problem go away.
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| 50 lb difference |
For the next couple of months, I was to 'build my plate' with 50% non starchy vegetables, 25% starch, and 25% protein. At first I thought 'there's no way I'll be full if I'm mostly just eating some leaves!", but it does work! I even crossed off the starch because I was fine without it. However, Angie told me it was important to have some carb/starch with protein, so I put that back in. Weight began falling off, and mostly just because of the diet (I didn't go to the gym everytime. I felt like if all I could do was walk, it was pointless.. once again, I'm a 0 to 200 kind of gal). As they say, it's 80% nutrition... they were right!
The PreOp Diet
Two weeks before surgery (which was scheduled for December 17, 2012), I was put on a preop diet. This diet is different from surgeon to surgeon (I've learned this chatting with Sleeve patients from around the world in a Facebook group), but they still share the basics. I was to consume as much of approved liquids as possible (crystal light, Gatorade, chicken broth, etc) and I could have raw or steamed non starchy veggies. Angie told me I couldn't have any dressing, but I could make an approved dip.... greek yogurt with ranch seasoning. I think most Greek yogurts are sour, but the plain Chaboni (sp?) brand was perfect. I mixed with just a couple teaspoons of the Hidden Valley Ranch dry seasoning mix. I couldn't stand steamed veggies without salt and butter, so I had alot of this homemade, approved dip with raw broccoli, cauliflower, carrots. I even munched on plain sugar snap peas. Yum! I was also approved for a limited amount of sugar free jello or sugar free pudding. I was to also drink protein shakes.
After surgery, you'll be drinking lots of protein shakes, and since you dont want to buy a full sized container of something you dont like, Angie suggested I purchase some protein shake samples to try during my preop diet, so I could decided which I liked and which I didnt.
The preop diet, in my opinion, is the worst part of the whole thing. I told them I never cheated, and that was the one straight lie I told my bariatric team, and I feel super bad about it. I ate plenty of cottage cheese (even though they said it wasn't allowed) and plain crackers. I also had some cheese (the stuff on a block that you cut yourself... not the pre-cut or pre-shredded junk filled with chemicals and other fillers/preservatives). My mom came home with a huge fried chicken dinner and the smell drove me wild, especially since I was so sick of the same stuff over and over. I stuffed my face with about half of a friend chicken breast... or wing... I don't remember. I remember I had grease all around my mouth and hands because I literally just went caveman on the stuff. I got sick to my stomach afterwards. I had also gotten a thing of Chicken Selects from McDonalds once with some fries and honey mustard. It also made me sick. I'm not sure if it's just me or not, but if I don't eat greasy or 'heavy' foods for awhile, and then suddenly I do, they make me sick. Maybe this was part of the IBS thing? I dunno... I didn't get my IBS medicine until I had told them about it AFTER surgery).
I had heard horror stories online of patients not getting their surgeries because the surgeon went it and decided their liver was still too big. I denied cheating and figured, "if they've already got the surgery started, they're more likely to go ahead and do it than back out." I was lucky that the written report I was given after surgery said my liver looked good. I do NOT encourage anyone to cheat. However, I know it's super hard and it'll make you want to binge like crazy, so I say if you just HAVE to cheat, stick with fat free or low fat cottage cheese and plain crackers.
The Night Before
The day before surgery I had to drink a laxative. I thought it was going to be gross, but it tasted alot like Sprite.... only a little more sour. I also thought I'd be on the toilet forever and cramping. However, since I had ate so much less for the previous two weeks on the pre-op diet, there really wasn't much to get rid of in my intestines. It wasn't the horrifying experience I thought it would be.
I was so excited I couldn't sleep. People say that if you say you weren't scared, you're lying. I really wasn't though. There was one moment where I had some concern that they would think I was asleep but wasn't really. I have such a high tolerance on sleeping pills with my insomnia and that was where the concern came from. However... (if my Speech teacher is reading this, she's prob got a tally going on how many times I say certain words, like 'however'. SORRY MRS PROTZ!), my dad reminded me that my mom also has insomnia and takes a whole lot more sleeping pills than me and has had multiple surgeries without any problem. After that, I was fine and just couldn't wait to get there and get my sleeve!
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Recipe: Cauliflower Crust Pizza
Cauliflower Crust Pizza
So I was going over one of my favorite websites, Pinterest.com, and was in search of some new, healthy recipes to try. I came across a ton of postings on Cauliflower Pizza Crust. "I might just be weird enough to try that!" Next thing I knew, I was grating cauliflower!
It was hard to pick which recipe to go by... they're all slightly different! I ended up just picking one with an appetizing photo and altered the recipe a bit from there. I was a bit nervous about how it would turn out. However, when I checked on the crust in the oven, it looked so amazing that I couldn't wait to get my toppings on there and give it the good 'ol taste test.
Now, one of the post-op side effects is that your taste in things may change. I haven't noticed a huge difference (I'm okay with tuna now whereas I used to hate it), but I have noticed a change in my sense of smell. The first few weeks after surgery, EVERYTHING (and I do mean everything) smelled strongly of garlic to me. During the Super Bowl, my friend had a table full of crock pots with different recipes and dips for the gang. I had a few of my own dishes to add as well. The combination of everything just made me want to vomit (I still managed to eat some pretty amazing chips and dip anyway). I was the only one who thought it smelled bad. When I made this cauliflower crust pizza, I thought it smelled like rotting trash. It was so bad that I almost didn't eat the food. No one else noticed a smell, so it's hard to say what actually smells good/bad and what's just me.
Now that I have your mouths watering (LOL, sorry).....
When the pizza was done, it tasted SO amazing! My dad had just eaten dinner, so he said he was only going to try a bite. After a couple minutes of eating the pizza directly off the cookie sheet, he finally loaded it up on a plate to 'share' with mom (which never happened... he ate the whole thing!). We are a house full of picky eaters, so when someone disappears with the food and hogs it to themselves, you know it's got to be good!
I always hate when food bloggers type forever and ever about their food, making you wonder, "where the hell is the recipe!?" Well, now I'm guilty. So, without further a-do... adu?.... my version of the recipe:
Ingredients: Serves: abt. 6**
2 cups cauliflower (grated or riced)*
2 cups cauliflower (grated or riced)*
2 cups part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese
2 eggs (you can get away with one if you prefer)
Basil
Rol-Tel tomatoes (drained)
Newman's Own Marinera Sauce
Choice of Toppings
*Grate or rice two cups of cauliflower (uncooked). I find if you use frozen (thawed) cauliflower florets, it's easier to squish it through a ricer. Using a fresh head of cauliflower, use a grater (this is my preferred method).
Throw that cauliflower in a bowl with eggs and mozzarella cheese. Add a few dashes of basil. Mix together thoroughly (hands always work the best, so give your kids a call because this part is nasty!)
Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Grab a handful of the cauliflower mix and compact it well in your hands. Place the ball of cauliflower on the cookie sheet and flatten into a patty (about 1/2 inch thick). Continue with rest of mix until you have multiple, individual pizzas. (makes about 6)
Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes. Pull the cauliflower crusts out and spoon a very small amount of the marinera sauce on each crust. Sauce isn't a dieters best friend. We are only using a small amount to help 'glue' the toppings on. After applying a thin layer, add a spoonful or two of the Rol-Tel tomatoes (juice drained). This makes up for the small amount of sauce.
Top with additional choice of toppings. Choice of cheese, veggies, etc.
Pop it back in the oven for just a couple minutes (long enough for the cheese on top to melt).
Serve, enjoy, and give yourself a pat on the back for eating a healthy, yet tasty, alternative!
**This makes about 6 patties. How many it serves really depends on how much who can eat! Us bariatric patients could easily be full off of one (or less) patties. These do freeze and re-bake well later (put each individual pizza in it's own ziplock bag, so they dont stick together, to freeze). (Or place a sheet of wax paper between each in one ziplock bag and lay flat)
This is a great idea for kids who are stubborn about eating vegetables. If they don't grate the cauliflower to know what it is, they'll probably have no problem eating this. I mean, hello, it's pizza... what kid says 'no' to pizza?
**I know, I know... I dont have any pics posted. Like I said, it looked so good that I dove in and totally forgot to get a picture. There are plenty online, but I will get a photo next time and add it to this blog entry!**
**I know, I know... I dont have any pics posted. Like I said, it looked so good that I dove in and totally forgot to get a picture. There are plenty online, but I will get a photo next time and add it to this blog entry!**
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
80 Ounces of Water & Sex Appeal
Yep, the topic of this post sounds a bit strange but I promise the two tie together. I have not heard of any bariatric team that doesn't require it's patients' to consume tons of water on a daily basis. My hospital requires 80 ounces of water to be consumed each day. This is a habit to last for the rest of your life. There are many reasons why we have to consume so much water and that can be explained if you check out the following link:
Bariatric Choice - Water and Fluid Needs of Bariatric Surgery Patients
I am in no way affiliated with the link above. I just simply did a quick search for reputible links that explain the importance of water, especially in bariatric patients, and thought this covered it well (and saves me some typing).
You may think you get more than the needed amount of water, but you may be surprised. One of my prescriptions (unrelated to bariatric surgery) causes me to constantly feel overheated and my mouth is always dry. So, you can say I definately drink a lot of water, or so I thought. Some days I'd drink close to about 60 ounces, other days I'd hardly make a dent in my required amount. Having to force yourself to drink more water than you are used to is, in my opinion, just as hard as getting yourself to get up and go to the gym. It definately makes you feel full all day, which makes you NOT want to consume all the extra vegetables you're supposed to be consuming as well. You have to pace yourself also or you will experience nausea from guzzling the water too quickly (which can also be dangerous, but that's if you go on like extreme H2O overload binge within a much shorter period of time).
At first, I was making tick marks on paper to keep track of how many glasses of water I had, so I knew if I was meeting my goal. I found it to be easier to just use a large bottle or pitcher to keep track. That way, you can see how much you've consumed so far that day and how much is left. There's a 64 ounce bottle of blueberry-pomegranate juice that I find to be perfect for the job. It's big, but not quite as bulky as a gallon jug, so it usually fits width-wise wherever I need it to. I fill it up one and a half times a day to be sure I get my daily water intake. Many patients like to use flavorings such as 'Mio' to help them get down the water easier. I tried a generic version of 'Mio', and found it reminded me too much of a more watered down version of NyQuil. I'm not sure if the name brand would be any better or not, since I haven't tried it yet. 'Crystal Light' has always been something I like, as well as the Kool Aid powder (sweetened with something like Splenda, NOT sugar) to occassionally mix things up.
Now here's where the whole 'sex appeal' part comes in. I want my water to stay cold so I keep the large bottle in the fridge for the most part. However, others come accross it and decide to help themselves. Sure, you can say "hey, I use this to keep track of my water intake", and that might keep all other hands off, but in some cases (such as mine), it won't make a difference.... especially if it's a pretty color from some flavoring. Our water has 'sex appeal'.... aka, others wont keep their hands off it and are attracted to drinking our cold water.
Solution? Everyone who knows me knows that I have bariatric protein shakes and vitamins. They have no desire to try any of that stuff. I may use an empty bottle of some sort of juice to hold plain water in, and I'll put a piece of masking tape on it and write "Bariatric Water". The bottle will still have a scent from the juice that was previously in it, so it seems to our unknowing suspects that something is in the water. However, they usually just see the 'Bariatric' label and run for the hills. I've also done this with water I've mixed with, for example, "Crystal Light Raspberry Ice". It's like a psychological trigger.... they are otherwise attracted to this colorful beverage, but if they see a 'bariatric' label, they see the color and think, "eww. That's some medicinal stuff! Gross!" None the wiser that we bested them and our drinks no longer appeal to them, thus we can maintain an accurate measurement of our water consumption.
This trick has also worked with food. Sure, unless you buy some special labels to make it look professional, they're gonna see it's homemade. However, they don't know if you mixed some special source of gritty vitamins in with your food when preparing it. I know I'm not happy when I spend half a day in the kitchen preparing food to last me a week and next thing I know, everyone is 'picking' at it until it's more than halfway gone.
Give the "Bariatric" label a try... It's proven far more helpful to me than writing "don't touch" and/or my name on it.
Have any stories you'd like to share? Please do! Comment below!
Update (4/14/2013): For those of you with smartphones, there are plenty of water tracking apps available. I've found this more helpful as I switch between various flavored drinks and water bottles. Speaking of waterbottles, Sportline created the Hydracoach (you can find on Amazon.com) which tracks the amount of fluid you drink in a 24 hr period. This was advertised as being 'motivating' and that it would 'remind' me to drink my water... but don't be fooled. There is not alarm that goes off if you don't drink (which is pretty much WHY I purchased it). It is also hard to figure out just how to sip it to get the dang thing to record accurately. Personally, it wasn't my best way of spending $30, but for those of you who are less anal then me, this may be an option.
Bariatric Choice - Water and Fluid Needs of Bariatric Surgery Patients
I am in no way affiliated with the link above. I just simply did a quick search for reputible links that explain the importance of water, especially in bariatric patients, and thought this covered it well (and saves me some typing).
You may think you get more than the needed amount of water, but you may be surprised. One of my prescriptions (unrelated to bariatric surgery) causes me to constantly feel overheated and my mouth is always dry. So, you can say I definately drink a lot of water, or so I thought. Some days I'd drink close to about 60 ounces, other days I'd hardly make a dent in my required amount. Having to force yourself to drink more water than you are used to is, in my opinion, just as hard as getting yourself to get up and go to the gym. It definately makes you feel full all day, which makes you NOT want to consume all the extra vegetables you're supposed to be consuming as well. You have to pace yourself also or you will experience nausea from guzzling the water too quickly (which can also be dangerous, but that's if you go on like extreme H2O overload binge within a much shorter period of time).
At first, I was making tick marks on paper to keep track of how many glasses of water I had, so I knew if I was meeting my goal. I found it to be easier to just use a large bottle or pitcher to keep track. That way, you can see how much you've consumed so far that day and how much is left. There's a 64 ounce bottle of blueberry-pomegranate juice that I find to be perfect for the job. It's big, but not quite as bulky as a gallon jug, so it usually fits width-wise wherever I need it to. I fill it up one and a half times a day to be sure I get my daily water intake. Many patients like to use flavorings such as 'Mio' to help them get down the water easier. I tried a generic version of 'Mio', and found it reminded me too much of a more watered down version of NyQuil. I'm not sure if the name brand would be any better or not, since I haven't tried it yet. 'Crystal Light' has always been something I like, as well as the Kool Aid powder (sweetened with something like Splenda, NOT sugar) to occassionally mix things up.
Now here's where the whole 'sex appeal' part comes in. I want my water to stay cold so I keep the large bottle in the fridge for the most part. However, others come accross it and decide to help themselves. Sure, you can say "hey, I use this to keep track of my water intake", and that might keep all other hands off, but in some cases (such as mine), it won't make a difference.... especially if it's a pretty color from some flavoring. Our water has 'sex appeal'.... aka, others wont keep their hands off it and are attracted to drinking our cold water.
Solution? Everyone who knows me knows that I have bariatric protein shakes and vitamins. They have no desire to try any of that stuff. I may use an empty bottle of some sort of juice to hold plain water in, and I'll put a piece of masking tape on it and write "Bariatric Water". The bottle will still have a scent from the juice that was previously in it, so it seems to our unknowing suspects that something is in the water. However, they usually just see the 'Bariatric' label and run for the hills. I've also done this with water I've mixed with, for example, "Crystal Light Raspberry Ice". It's like a psychological trigger.... they are otherwise attracted to this colorful beverage, but if they see a 'bariatric' label, they see the color and think, "eww. That's some medicinal stuff! Gross!" None the wiser that we bested them and our drinks no longer appeal to them, thus we can maintain an accurate measurement of our water consumption.
This trick has also worked with food. Sure, unless you buy some special labels to make it look professional, they're gonna see it's homemade. However, they don't know if you mixed some special source of gritty vitamins in with your food when preparing it. I know I'm not happy when I spend half a day in the kitchen preparing food to last me a week and next thing I know, everyone is 'picking' at it until it's more than halfway gone.
Give the "Bariatric" label a try... It's proven far more helpful to me than writing "don't touch" and/or my name on it.
Have any stories you'd like to share? Please do! Comment below!
Update (4/14/2013): For those of you with smartphones, there are plenty of water tracking apps available. I've found this more helpful as I switch between various flavored drinks and water bottles. Speaking of waterbottles, Sportline created the Hydracoach (you can find on Amazon.com) which tracks the amount of fluid you drink in a 24 hr period. This was advertised as being 'motivating' and that it would 'remind' me to drink my water... but don't be fooled. There is not alarm that goes off if you don't drink (which is pretty much WHY I purchased it). It is also hard to figure out just how to sip it to get the dang thing to record accurately. Personally, it wasn't my best way of spending $30, but for those of you who are less anal then me, this may be an option.
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Types of Bariatric Surgery
Currently, there are three bariatric/weight loss surgeries that are considered the standard of care in the United States.
GASTRIC BYPASS/ROUX EN Y
The most commonly performed weight loss surgery is the Gastric Bypass (aka Roux-en Y), which is both restrictive and malabsorptive.
The surgery is usually done laparoscopically (through several small incisions versus a large one down the entire abdomen). The stomach is stapled off at the upper portion of the stomach, making a small 'pouch' to hold food, rather than an entire stomach. The pouch is connected to the intestines for the food to continue through the path from mouth to out (esophagus to intestines). The original stomach is completely 'bypassed' (hence the name), since the food goes through the newly created pouch instead. This is generally viewed as a non-reversible procedure, though the surgeons at my hospital said it is possible to be done, however it is very difficult and contains much more risks (so don't count on ever having it reversed when you're trying to make your decision in terms of type of surgery).
Weight is generally dropped the fastest with this surgery, approximately 18-24 pounds a month (according to my hospital, Memorial in Springfield, IL). However, since the stomach is being bypassed, your body cannot absorb all the nutrients of the foods you are consuming and you will be on specially made vitamins for the rest of your life. These vitamins are specifically for gastric bypass patients, as over the counter vitamins will not be absorbed properly (like the food).
A common problem post surgery is 'dumping'. This is described as being a painful experience which typically occurs after consuming fatty or sugary foods, but can also occur from other foods. Other symptoms of 'dumping' include abdominal cramps, sweating, fast heart rate and nausea (Memorial).
I do not feel legally comfortable listing the possible surgical risks, since I am not a medical physician. I would strongly encourage you to research this online (there are tons of credible websites available) and speak with a surgeon and/or his bariatric team about these risks. While YouTube.com isn't really a credible source (people are always more likely to blog, vlog, or comment about the negative as opposed to the positive), there are many people who vlog (video blog) regularly. One of my favorite Gastric Bypass vloggers is saphre1964 (click here to visit her channel). She is a nurse, which aides in her ability to better explain medical things to her viewers, and she always takes the time to answer questions. She posts the good, and the bad. The best thing of all, her personality will always brighten your day. YouTube also has various short videos to show the procedures of various weight loss surgeries.
Below is a link to one that is computer animated, although there are also many that show the actual organs if you prefer.
Click Here to See a Computer Animated Clip on the Gastric Bypass Procedure
LAP BAND
The Lap Band is a far less complicated (in my opinion) procedure. There is no cutting of any organs. Instead, a silicone band is placed around the upper portion of the stomach. There is a small tube trailing off this band to a 'port', which is placed directly under your skin. Doctors will access this port with a needle and add saline solution, which then travels to the band. The more saline that is added, the tighter the band will be and the more restrictive.
My hospital's surgeons had told us (in a support group meeting) that you cannot easily feel the port or see it, however, many people online had reported being able to feel and sometimes see their port, giving them some lack of confidence. This band can be removed, however I have heard that insurances do not cover the removal (I cannot speak for all insurance companies, so talk to yours about this).
Usually, when the final goal weight is achieved, all saline solution is removed from the band and the band itself is left in place (with no restriction).
There are many horror stories on the internet about this procedure, but keep in mind that more people will complain more than they will praise. Personally, my aunt has gotten the band several years ago (enough for any inflammation to have gone down after surgery), and still has an extremely difficult time keeping food down. I have heard (via internet) that many lap band patients end up having it removed and getting a different bariatric surgery. In my support group meeting, our surgeons agreed with a patient who had said she heard that in Europe, more bands were being removed than put in and she didn't think lap bands would be around much longer. The Lap Band is restrictive only; there are no issues of vitamins not being absorbed. I was also informed (via my hospital, Memorial), that the Lap Band is a procedure for those with less weight to lose (compared to those getting bypass. I cannot find the information that stated the BMI ranges they went by to determine if patients were in the 'range' for the Lap Band or a different surgery, such as the Sleeve or Bypass).
Click Here to See a Computer Animated Clip on the Lap Band Procedure
GASTRIC SLEEVE/VERTICAL SLEEVE GASTRECTOMY
This is the procedure I have chosen, and I may be a bit biased, but I promise I am sharing what I know (other than serious surgery risks, which I feel legally uncomfortable with sharing and believe you should speak with a medical team about these risks, especially since each person has their own medical history which may give further possible risks).
The gastric sleeve is also performed laparoscopically unless there is a certain reason why the doctor opts to perform the surgery open abdomen. The reason for this (laparoscopic) is because there is a less chance of infection.
During a Gastric Sleeving, the surgeon staples and divides the stomach, removing about 2/3 of the original stomach, leaving you with a tube or 'sleeve'. The extra portion of the stomach is removed (as in pulled out of your body and discarded), and therefore the surgery is irreversible. The portion of the stomach that is removed contains a hormone (Ghrelin) which makes you hungry. This doesn't mean you will lose your cravings (that part is in the brain), but you will lose your appetite (for the most part).
There is no 'dumping' with the Sleeve, as there is with Bypass. You must be held accountable for the things you eat (high sugar, high fat, etc). Your stomach could very well stretch out in size again, as it had before with your original stomach.
The Gastric Sleeve is a 'newer' procedure. It relies on restriction, however, your doctor may have you take bariatric vitamins anyway as more research comes in over the procedure. I've heard of people not needing to take vitamins, but my bariatric team does require it (hey, it's better to be on the safe side).
There are not nearly as many Gastric Sleeve vlogs as there are Gastric Bypass and Lap Band, unfortunately. Click Here to See a Computer Animated Clip on the Gastric Sleeve Procedure (with audio)
However, there is a gastric sleeve specific forum. It can be viewed on your computer or download the app for free to your iPad or iPhone! Click here for the Sleever's Forum!
On A Final Note
You really need to do your research and speak with your bariatric team about your options. See if there is a local support group, where you can meet 'before' and 'after' patients who are more than willing to tell their story and answer questions. There are also a variety of forums online as well. This blog will share my journey with you: information I've learned, going through the prepping stages, recovering from surgery, excess skin and scarring, and of course... recipes that are healthy AND good (and I'm a picky eater so you know it's got to be good!)
On the note of vitamins.... there may be local places in your area that sell these special bariatric vitamins, but there are also sources online. Stay tuned for more information on vitamins, post-surgery approved protein shakes (and liquid diet), etc!
If you have any questions regarding the information I've given above (or anything else for that matter), please do not hesitate to ask!
GASTRIC BYPASS/ROUX EN YThe most commonly performed weight loss surgery is the Gastric Bypass (aka Roux-en Y), which is both restrictive and malabsorptive.
The surgery is usually done laparoscopically (through several small incisions versus a large one down the entire abdomen). The stomach is stapled off at the upper portion of the stomach, making a small 'pouch' to hold food, rather than an entire stomach. The pouch is connected to the intestines for the food to continue through the path from mouth to out (esophagus to intestines). The original stomach is completely 'bypassed' (hence the name), since the food goes through the newly created pouch instead. This is generally viewed as a non-reversible procedure, though the surgeons at my hospital said it is possible to be done, however it is very difficult and contains much more risks (so don't count on ever having it reversed when you're trying to make your decision in terms of type of surgery).
Weight is generally dropped the fastest with this surgery, approximately 18-24 pounds a month (according to my hospital, Memorial in Springfield, IL). However, since the stomach is being bypassed, your body cannot absorb all the nutrients of the foods you are consuming and you will be on specially made vitamins for the rest of your life. These vitamins are specifically for gastric bypass patients, as over the counter vitamins will not be absorbed properly (like the food).
A common problem post surgery is 'dumping'. This is described as being a painful experience which typically occurs after consuming fatty or sugary foods, but can also occur from other foods. Other symptoms of 'dumping' include abdominal cramps, sweating, fast heart rate and nausea (Memorial).
I do not feel legally comfortable listing the possible surgical risks, since I am not a medical physician. I would strongly encourage you to research this online (there are tons of credible websites available) and speak with a surgeon and/or his bariatric team about these risks. While YouTube.com isn't really a credible source (people are always more likely to blog, vlog, or comment about the negative as opposed to the positive), there are many people who vlog (video blog) regularly. One of my favorite Gastric Bypass vloggers is saphre1964 (click here to visit her channel). She is a nurse, which aides in her ability to better explain medical things to her viewers, and she always takes the time to answer questions. She posts the good, and the bad. The best thing of all, her personality will always brighten your day. YouTube also has various short videos to show the procedures of various weight loss surgeries.
Below is a link to one that is computer animated, although there are also many that show the actual organs if you prefer.
Click Here to See a Computer Animated Clip on the Gastric Bypass Procedure
LAP BAND
The Lap Band is a far less complicated (in my opinion) procedure. There is no cutting of any organs. Instead, a silicone band is placed around the upper portion of the stomach. There is a small tube trailing off this band to a 'port', which is placed directly under your skin. Doctors will access this port with a needle and add saline solution, which then travels to the band. The more saline that is added, the tighter the band will be and the more restrictive. My hospital's surgeons had told us (in a support group meeting) that you cannot easily feel the port or see it, however, many people online had reported being able to feel and sometimes see their port, giving them some lack of confidence. This band can be removed, however I have heard that insurances do not cover the removal (I cannot speak for all insurance companies, so talk to yours about this).
Usually, when the final goal weight is achieved, all saline solution is removed from the band and the band itself is left in place (with no restriction).
There are many horror stories on the internet about this procedure, but keep in mind that more people will complain more than they will praise. Personally, my aunt has gotten the band several years ago (enough for any inflammation to have gone down after surgery), and still has an extremely difficult time keeping food down. I have heard (via internet) that many lap band patients end up having it removed and getting a different bariatric surgery. In my support group meeting, our surgeons agreed with a patient who had said she heard that in Europe, more bands were being removed than put in and she didn't think lap bands would be around much longer. The Lap Band is restrictive only; there are no issues of vitamins not being absorbed. I was also informed (via my hospital, Memorial), that the Lap Band is a procedure for those with less weight to lose (compared to those getting bypass. I cannot find the information that stated the BMI ranges they went by to determine if patients were in the 'range' for the Lap Band or a different surgery, such as the Sleeve or Bypass).
Click Here to See a Computer Animated Clip on the Lap Band Procedure
GASTRIC SLEEVE/VERTICAL SLEEVE GASTRECTOMY
This is the procedure I have chosen, and I may be a bit biased, but I promise I am sharing what I know (other than serious surgery risks, which I feel legally uncomfortable with sharing and believe you should speak with a medical team about these risks, especially since each person has their own medical history which may give further possible risks).
The gastric sleeve is also performed laparoscopically unless there is a certain reason why the doctor opts to perform the surgery open abdomen. The reason for this (laparoscopic) is because there is a less chance of infection.
During a Gastric Sleeving, the surgeon staples and divides the stomach, removing about 2/3 of the original stomach, leaving you with a tube or 'sleeve'. The extra portion of the stomach is removed (as in pulled out of your body and discarded), and therefore the surgery is irreversible. The portion of the stomach that is removed contains a hormone (Ghrelin) which makes you hungry. This doesn't mean you will lose your cravings (that part is in the brain), but you will lose your appetite (for the most part).There is no 'dumping' with the Sleeve, as there is with Bypass. You must be held accountable for the things you eat (high sugar, high fat, etc). Your stomach could very well stretch out in size again, as it had before with your original stomach.
The Gastric Sleeve is a 'newer' procedure. It relies on restriction, however, your doctor may have you take bariatric vitamins anyway as more research comes in over the procedure. I've heard of people not needing to take vitamins, but my bariatric team does require it (hey, it's better to be on the safe side).
There are not nearly as many Gastric Sleeve vlogs as there are Gastric Bypass and Lap Band, unfortunately. Click Here to See a Computer Animated Clip on the Gastric Sleeve Procedure (with audio)
However, there is a gastric sleeve specific forum. It can be viewed on your computer or download the app for free to your iPad or iPhone! Click here for the Sleever's Forum!
On A Final Note
You really need to do your research and speak with your bariatric team about your options. See if there is a local support group, where you can meet 'before' and 'after' patients who are more than willing to tell their story and answer questions. There are also a variety of forums online as well. This blog will share my journey with you: information I've learned, going through the prepping stages, recovering from surgery, excess skin and scarring, and of course... recipes that are healthy AND good (and I'm a picky eater so you know it's got to be good!)
On the note of vitamins.... there may be local places in your area that sell these special bariatric vitamins, but there are also sources online. Stay tuned for more information on vitamins, post-surgery approved protein shakes (and liquid diet), etc!
If you have any questions regarding the information I've given above (or anything else for that matter), please do not hesitate to ask!
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