Day 21 post-op.
Pre-pre-op (8/28/20) weight: 293.5
Surgery (9/4/20) weight: 284.3 (-9.2)
Current (9/25/20) weight: 268.5 (-15.8, -25 total)
It’s pouring down rain this morning, but I am sitting on the front porch because the temperature feels great, and I feel great too. Today is the three week mark since my surgery. I still am very pleased with the results and my progress. Since my last post 10 days ago (day 11), when I was initially advanced to the puréed foods phase, I have become more adjusted to my new (current) normal.
After I was allowed to advance to puréed foods, I did push the envelope probably more than I should have. I figured that anything that I could chew in my mouth to the point of puréeing it, would be fair game. Over the course of days 11-18, I did try one piece of margherita pizza, mashed potatoes, a bowl of cereal, coffee, half a bagel, a piece of toast, half of a peanut butter sandwich, a beer, and even a McDonald’s cheeseburger! And in all of those cases, I can say that I did feel a little bit uncomfortable in my stomach, but I did not throw up and did not have any issues beyond the 30 to 90 minutes following my meal.
On Wednesday this week, I met with the dietitian as a regularly scheduled follow up. As a preparation for that meeting I completed a two page questionnaire about my experience so far after the surgery. I typed all my answers and color-coded them and attached screenshots of my food diary extracted from the MyFitnessPal app, which I use to track my weight and food diary.
I told the dietitian right up front that I was pushing the envelope, and probably was eating things that I should not eat. She agreed! She was quite perplexed at the paradox that I seemed to be to her. She said, "You are extremely organized and detailed, yet in some ways, you are not following the diet. At all!"
She seemed very surprised that I did not have problems with some of the foods that I was eating in this phase. I told her that I was not intentionally trying to derail my progress, but I figured that as long as I could purée a few foods in my mouth, that it would qualify for the puréed phase, provided that it did not cause me any physical issues such as stomach ache or nausea. While she admitted there was some validity to that logic, she advised me to avoid those foods until I advanced a little further in my healing. Of course, there were some things that I was doing right, including getting in all my protein and drinking enough water and avoiding soda.
She also did observe that in addition to some of the foods I was eating prematurely, I was also eating portions that were too large. For example, I was eating two eggs, when I should have had just one. Or I was eating 4-7 ounces of meat/food when I really should only be having about 2-4, along with snacks of yoghurt or protein drinks in between meals. I had been getting 700-1000 calories per day, and she said it would be more expected to be getting 400-600. Wow. I do believe that everyone is different and that maybe my tolerance and healing are perhaps better than average. But I definitely don't want to stretch out my "pouch," which is bariatric lingo for "new smaller stomach." She referred to this part of my journey as the “honeymoon phase,” because it is now when I will be losing the most weight. She said I need to capitalize on that. I promised that I would make some adjustments, and thanked her for the advice.
In a few days since that meeting, I have reduced my portions even further, and have avoided most if not all of the foods that she warned me about. It’s really hard to imagine that 2-4 ounces of meat/food would actually satisfy me right now, but it really does. For example, yesterday I scrambled one egg and crumbled some very thin crispy bacon on it along with some cheese, and made the world’s smallest omelette. It was delicious and it filled me up, and I had no stomach discomfort at all. And it was mostly "in policy." :-)
So, speaking of the numbers, I have lost 25 pounds since I began the pre-op liquid diet four weeks ago. I think that’s excellent progress. I can definitely see it in the way I look, as can my family and friends. I have already removed numerous pairs of size 48 jeans from my armoire, and am wearing some size 44s instead. Additionally I have begun wearing some of my treasured T-shirts that were much too tight for me over the last two years. I still have not made it to a size that will fit the unworn Rush concert T-shirt from 2015, but I expect to be there soon.
I feel great. And I feel satisfied throughout the day regarding my food intake. It really is quite amazing that I am not hungry very much at all, I do have cravings for certain flavors that I love so much. But I hope and believe that in the long run I will be able to enjoy those again, though in much smaller portions than before.
I’ve been walking about 2.3 miles about five days a week. Lori has been joining me on some of those walks. When I walk alone, I’ve been listening to Travis Everette videos from his real estate class. He is an excellent real estate pre-licensing instructor, and has been instrumental in helping thousands of students pass the licensing exam, I’m sure. As for me, I just completed my course exam on Wednesday night and made a 90.8 on that test. I am glad to be done with that class. That lasted for 10 weeks and was four hours every Tuesday and Thursday night.
So I have submitted my application to take the official real estate licensing exam. Once that is approved, I will schedule a date and take the exam, after which I will be a licensed real estate broker (if I pass both the national and NC portions). There are still some other steps before I can legally do anything related to real estate, but those are formalities.
1 comment:
Hey man! You look great! Keep it up!
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