Happy Anniversary

My labs last doctor visit indicated that I have a vitamin d deficiency. I didn't tell the doctor, but I haven't been taking my vitamins regularly. I know I have to, but I hate taking these horsepills! I get on a roll taking them religiously and then I just forget one day and that sets the slide into motion where I go a whole week without taking a vitamin. Not good, so NO lectures please. I need to find a solution to this madness.

This doctor visit in November marked my one year anniversary. I lost 80 pounds in the year and that is great for me. The doctor thinks that I need to exercise more now because this is the critical juncture for me. He loses (no pun intended) many patients at this point because they know by now what they can and cannot "get away" with eating. Those who continue seeing him have a better weight loss than those who stop. I need to boost the exercise to keep the weight loss going, so that means hitting the gym more than twice a week. Ugh! I can do it and I will.

I will see him later this month for my 13 month post-op check-up and will let you know how it went at that time.

Pinky Update

Dr. Hall called me to tell me how Pinky was doing. She hasn't thrown up, but they also have not given her any foods. Her temperature was still high, but she didn’t start getting the antbiotics until around 3 pm, so it could still go down in the morning. She spent the day pretty much just sleeping and resting. Pretty normal though considering how dehydrated she was. Dr. Hall will call me tomorrow to let me know how Pinky was doing.



10/9/2007 5:15 pm

8 Month Post-Op Update

I saw Dr. Bypass this morning. I am down 75 pounds, which is great. Only 5 pounds lost in the past two months though. The doctor said that this is what I can now expect as far as weight loss goes now because it is slowing down. I need to really make sure that I am eating the right portions and I am increasing my exercise. It is now going to be more work for me.

This is the point that they start to lose their patients. The doctor said that people start getting too comfortable with their eating and have figured out what they can get away with at this point. I do not want to be one of those who wind up packing the pound back on, so I am going to start writing all of my food consumption into a journal.

I always hated keeping a food diary, but I am committed to doing this. Perhaps I can see patterns on paper that I don't notice in real life. I know Weight Watchers and Nutrisystem wanted you to track yuor food intake and I never was able to do it consistently. Okay, I could do it, but I suppose I chose not to do it consistently.

My hair is not falling out as badly as it was two months ago. I guess that is because the weight loss has slowed down too.

I haven't thrown up lately, which is another good thing, so I guess I am doing something right. I did get a little sick last night because I ate some rice. I really wanted the rice and it just seemed to sit in my chest. I stretched out on the bed for a while and it made me feel better.

6 Month Post-Op Follow-up

Went to see Dr. Bypass this morning. I wasn't feeling all that optimistic. since my doctor appointments are stretched out to every two months now, it is harder and harder to keep off the scale until the next appointment. As a result, I have started weighing myself once a week. As I have been hopping on the scale for the past three weeks I have become concerned that the scale doesn't seem to be moving, which has unfortunately led to my jumping on the scale every single day. It has become my mania.

In addition, when I replenished my vitamin stock two weeks ago, I could not find the iron pills that I had been taking, so I purchased another brand. The new brand has constipated me to the point of extreme discomfort. I resorted to taking 6 Fibercon pills and two ex-lax pills with minimal results. I have now thrown out these new iron pills and will be on the hunt for the Slo Fe brand.

Compliments

Because my hair is getting much thinner on the top, I decided it was time for a new hairstyle. I figured it would look better shorter and layered. This is a pic I took of myself. I didn't use a flash and the photo is reflected off of the mirror. Kind of like the way it came out.

I also colored my hair so it is now a strawberry blond color which compliments my skin tone. I went to work and had to talk to the guy in the office next to mine. I walked in and just started talking and he was staring at me. He finally told me that when I first walked in he was wondering who this person was. He was confused because of the new hairstyle and said it took him a few moments to recognize it was me.

I had to go speak to someone in another department yesterday. When I walked in, the receptionist asked me if I changed my hair. I confirmed that I did and then she said that I looked great and she noticed that I had lost a lot of weight. I told her that I had the surgery blah, blah, blah. She told me that she didn't know it was me! It had been at least two months since she had seen me and she said I looked like a completely different person. That just made my day. I feel like a completely different person too.

4 Month Post-Op Update

Had my fourth month post-op visit with my surgeon, Doctor Bypass. I lost 57 official pounds and 63 unoffical pounds. Woo-Hoo! I am doing very well in terms of weight loss. In fact, I am ahead of the curve. What does that mean?

Well, first they tell you what you are supposed to weigh (yeah, I laughed my ass off at that number too). Then they subtract that from what you weigh now. They take that number and tell you that you will lose 70% of that from the surgery over 18 months. This is the prediction of your weight loss. In 4 months I have already lost 50% of the weight they are expecting me to lose. I will most likely lose more than the expectd 70%.

A lot of this has to do with the exercising that I am doing and I am doing a moderate amount. I joined a gym and I try to go three times a week, but I must admit that I usually only go twice a week. I am taking aerobic classes like kickboxing and body sculpting. Not easy classes and sometimes I can't last the whole hour, but I do what I can. I also lift weighs there and use the cross training machine.

On days that I don't go to the gym, I make the most out of my standing time. I make sure that I am always moving. When I am standing at the photo copier at work, I am moving my feet doing the "grapevine" move that we do at the gym. When I am home waiting for the dogs to come in from outside, I am doing kick backs with my legs. A few minutes here and there adds up over the course of a day. Try it!

Good News for Pinky

Dr. Boren called from the animal hospital to let us know that Pinky's urine test came back and it was good. No signs of a urinary tract infection, which we must avoid so that she does not get those stones again. It was such a relief and at least we know that the diet change is working.

I need to collect another sample in 4 months. Yikes!!! It took me so long to get this one, that I think I ought to start collecting now! Well, at least I know how do do it. I just have to give Pinky a lot of tea and then follow her out in the yard. Of course, in 4 months it will not be cold and so the urge to pee immediately may not be there. I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.


1/20/2007