Beginning of Week 3

Well its been 17 days since surgery, my current weight is 214.4. Just shy of 30 pounds!
This week I'm able to start adding foods like yogurt, mashed potatoes and fork mashed beans back into to my diet. Yummy, thank goodness because I was beyond sick of broth. Now the chore is to get in 60 grams of protein a day - this will increase my weight loss and help me not lose my hair. I'm really not trying to go thru the thinning game that Tammy did and from what I'm told it is avoidable!
I'm going back to work tomorrow. Wow work after being off for 17 days - this is going to be absolutely exhausting, but it will be good to get back into my real life routine. I've just got to be prepared at work to eat as often as possible so that I'm not going to long without some kind of intake and so I dont lose protein!

I'm adding pictures as I go along so that I can look back and possibly see the changes in my face!

First Day Without a Loss??

Ugh ... today is the first day since surgery that I can not change my weight loss ticker to show a loss because I lost 0 ... a big fat 0 -- I wasnt ready for that quite yet.  Most especially not after having such an active day! I got up and got moving yesterday and did a lot of walking. But I ended my day on what very well may have been my first mistake. PF Chang's Egg drop Soup! I'm not sure if it's something in the soup or maybe I slurped it too fast, but I ended up feeling very yucky and now I have a bit of a constipated feeling.
I'm hoping to have a bowl movement today to make this "full" feeling go away.

Todays weight: still 218.8
 
     My favorite but maybe not the best choice yet!!

9 Days Post Surgery

Well here I am just over a week into my new life. So far I'm at 24.5 pounds lost which makes me very excited... I'll be in One-derland before we know it.  Its so exciting to think that the major struggle in my life could be over. I know I still have to work and that I need to be disciplined and that's great, Im on track but to know that the healthy diet and exercise will work ... that's just the best.
I think I'm doing well, taking in enough liquid, and getting into a bit of a routine. But I have to admit I'm so excited to know that next weekend Ill be able to add applesauce, yogurt and beans back into my diet. I'm dying for something with some flavor.   I'm not hungry - I get an empty feeling that I guess is hunger, so I dump a little broth or a Popsicle on it and I'm good to go! But I'm ready for a bit full of something normal.
I have to be honest - I still have food demons!  I sat here yesterday and thought OMG how great it will be when I can have a hot ooey gooe toll house cookie fresh out of the oven. God I'm such a fatty!! But it will be ok - because I am determined to be a success and I will have that hot ooey gooey toll house cookie - but one maybe two instead of ten. Thats gonna make all the difference. I will enjoy my life and I will still enjoy cooking and eating but this will finally give me the stability I need to be healthy and make better choices than I probably ever have before!

today's scale reading: 218.8
         Below are pictures I took of my hospital meal and meal for the last week as well as  my cafeteria slip .. just as a reminder .. I'm a weirdo I know!

Settling In

Ok so I've been home 4 full days and I think Im getting into a pretty good groove with my liquid intake. Its probably still not enough but from what I've been told most people struggle with getting in the needed protein.   I'm doing my best!
I feel pretty good today - the past few days I've been very slow to get up and moving but today I awoke at 6:45 am, chilled in bed for a lil bit, simply because there was no reason to get up and now here it is 10am and I've cleaned the kitchen, started the dishwasher and I'm making this entry. Not  bad, most I've done without feeling wipped out!
The bathroom scale reads 222 today - I've lost just a hair more than 20 pounds ... 10 of those are per-surgery so I guess I'm doing pretty good.  That's 20 pounds in 17 days.  I do not want to squander this gift, this opportunity. I'm going to work very hard to be the healthiest me!! I've been researching high protein snacks and meals and found quite a few that I can easily transition into my day once I go back to work.  I'm not hungry now, and I'm told a true feeling of hunger takes a while, but I can tell when I'm empty and just need something.  Im not hungry but I do feel the need for something ... something that needs to be chewed or perhaps just a new flavor! LOL it will be easier - and I'm going to work. I will be successful!!

First full day home

Today is Sunday March 16th and it my first full day home.  I've got to get into a drink "eat" drink groove. I'm a lil bit sore and kind of lazy so I know I need to start introducing protien.
todays weight 226.8

Today's The Day

Well its finally here, the day I've worked and waited for ,  surgery day.  After  nearly 8 months, dozens of tests and appointments its finally my turn to go make it the OR.
Of course I've barely slept a wink, I think I laid down about midnight and here I sit at 4am.
I'm not scared, a little nervous maybe but that's surgery nerves, You know the thud you get in your stomach knowing they are going to put you to sleep to cut and poke and prod at you. But I just keep thinking of where I will (hope) be in a few weeks, months and at the end of this year.  Today might be a little uncomfortable, and the upcoming days will NOT be a walk in the park but I know in the end it will all be worth it. It will be worth it to not look at food as an enemy, to not cringe when a nurse says jump on the scale. It will be worth it to not feel uncomfortable in my own skin, to be a better healthier version of me and most of hell we have to admit the vanity of it all .... it will be worth it the first time I'm able to buy clothing and the size be only one letter of the alphabet or hell a single digit!!!
It will all be worth it!!!
Well time to jump in the shower and get Ernie moving we have to leave for the hospital in 45 minutes!! Today I say good bye to over weight Jen and hopefully this joke will be more funny than truth!!

The "Weight" is almost over!

As I sit surgery is 3 days away.  Thankfully I decided to work up until the very last minute. I believe had I decided to stay home the hours would have gone by at a snails pace and I wouldn't be able to stand it!
Ive had an interesting weekend maneuvering thru the LRD ! I was home out of my routine and I could tell!! Good new tho is I did not cheat!! Never not once ... although I have to admit I was tempted.  I maybe was not perfect, but I definately was successful.
Now to keep going just  few more days.
I've gone to the store and bought some essentials for after surgery - sugar free Popsicle - Gatorade - G2 of course - soup that I can strain all the chunks out of and I'm gonna sweet talk my BFF into going to my favorite Chinese restaurant PF Chang's and buying me some egg drop soup. That broth will be super yummy! Im about ready to go!!!

LRD Day 4

Still doing the diet - got to get this liver down to an easily maneuverable size. So far so good my current weight is 238.2 so I'm making progress.  Its not as bad as most people might think.  Of course I say that and I really just can not get the taste of these protein shakes. I think its because they are so sweet and you really have to drink it quickly, because once it starts to warm up its nasty!! I like mine damn near frozen and I get as much of it down as quickly as I can!!!



Funny for the day:

7 days 22 hours

Yep just 7 more short days and it will finally be my turn to go under the knife. I dont mean for that to sound flippant but I'm ready! I've had lots of conversations with myself and I know this will not be easy and I know it will be hard work. But its work I'm ready for, because it seems like for once in my life all the hard diet & exercise work will pay off.  Hopefully my days on the nauseating roller coaster will be over. No I'm not an idiot I know this process too will have its ups and downs .. good days and bad, but I'm not sure the worst days can compare with the "fat girl" feelings.

Today is day 3 of my liver reduction diet and my current wait is 239.0  :)
Its gonna be a good day!!!

Liver Reduction Diet - again

Now that surgery is finally on the books its time for me to start the liver reduction diet again!! So I have ... and I have a headache already.

starting weight 243.2