6/20 Today I will...

Happy Friday!  It is a beautiful morning and I am so glad that Friday is finally here!  I am not sure if I will be able to post tomorrow morning because the house is going to be a bit crazy with 11 people and 2 bathrooms and everyone trying to get out and to the parade by 9:00 am!  Today (and this weekend) I will....drink 100 ounces of water, make a good food choice at lunch today (my co-workers and I always go out on Fridays for lunch), eat my granola bar on the way home so that I am not famished when I stop at Wal-Mart to pick up a couple groceries, walk/run with new music on mp3 player and possibly do some yoga tonight and either Saturday or Sunday (if time both), socialize with people from high school (this is my big challenge for the weekend), if I choose to have a drink make sure it is only 1 drink followed by a lot of water, and enjoy the beautiful weather!  Yesterday I...get in 100 ounces of water--sadly I only got in about 88 ounces, eat mindfully--did really well on this, keep myself occupied tonight with something other than grazing (perhaps laundry)--only had a little snack last night, get to bed before midnight--yup in bed by 10:30 and pack for the weekend--yup I packed all of my clothes and meds last night, but had to wait to pack the bathroom stuff this morning. 

What's a BEAUTIFUL day!!  Sadly it seems I will be spending most of it in the car.  We are delivering 1 dog and picking up 2 more.  I would rather be out on the beach or laying in the lawn  lol  heck!  even mowing the lawn!  But that isn't in the cards. We are playing that puzzle game with dogs... you know the one with the one empty square and you have to move them around and around to make a picture?  lol  I've got so many quarentine areas in the house right now that I can't go potty without a dog in my face  hehe  Bedroom has the little Chi; craftroom has the broken legged Chi/mutt; living room has my regular dogs - rec room has 4 ex-pens with new fosters and weight room has possible parvo dog.  Today we may have to even use the camper as an isolation area.  This is nuts!  I think after this we will be taking a break. Today I WILL: - drink water - eat smart, tracking my intake here        * 1 container lemon yogurt with 1/4C special K protein cereal mixed in        * 2 handfuls of kettle roasted peanuts        * 3 jerky nuggets        * apple        * stopped at KFC and had a scoop of potatoes with gravy, a chicken wing, a spoon of coleslaw, 1/2 biscuit and a spoon of beans        *12 saltines with ICBINB - pack a cooler to achieve the above - finish Domi's blanket while riding in the van - enjoy what sunshine I can!! Yesterday I: - chart my food intake by editing this post throughout the day        10am - 2/3 protein bar
       230pm - 1/3 Wendy's taco salad
       6pm - 2 piece SF chocolate
       8pm - tostito chips and salsa
       10pm - 3oz BBQ steak - vitamins     no - take care of the new 9 dogs     did this all day long starting with that over 3 hour vet appointment.  - walk and rejoice in the music around me!     didn't have time after dealing with the dogs - relax with my OWN dogs!     I laid in bed and took lots of time petting and loving my guys up.

Wow Lori you are really busy with those dogs this week!  I hope after today you can find a little time to relaxe!  I thinking packing a cooler is a great idea so then you know that there are good food choices right there instead of trying to find something healthy on the road.  Safe travles and hopefully the dog situation gets a little less stressful!

Happy Friday!  Well, I have this weekend to enjoy and then it's back to work for me next week.  I'm so glad that my recovery went smoothly and I've been mostly able to enjoy my time off this week AND use sick time instead of vacation time to do it.    I'm ready to go back to work though.  I'm just starting to get lazy sitting around the house doing nothing.  Today I will...1) focus on drinking at least 60-80oz of water. I've been getting lazy with this.  2) research if I'm eating too much at this stage of the game (my dad asked me yesterday if I ate too much food), 3) make plans for this weekend that involve getting out of the house.  Yesterday I...1) be easier with myself and remember that I'm only 1 week post-op today and I do not need to act like I am 1 year post-op,  - I did this.  Rested most of the day and did only a small amount of exercise.  2) drink at least 80oz. water (this will be important since I'm not eating much and I've been slacking on the water) - nope, still struggling with this.  Going to add Crystal Light to more water.  The plain water just seems to take so much longer to drink.  3) spend more time with DH tonight and this weekend - I've been the main focus for the past several weeks and he deserves some more attention now - well, DH had a meeting last night but when he was home I gave him  a lot of attention. 

I hope you enjoy the weekend before you have to go back to work.  Hopefully things will not be too stressful for you when you return so that you can continue to focus on setting up a new routine.  I am not sure what program you went through but I know that PNC's rule of thumb for portion size is 1st month 3 tablespoons, 3 months out 1/4 cup, 6 months 1/2 cup, 9 months 3/4 cup, 1 year + 1 cup.  All the programs are different so I am not sure what yours says just thought I would share what I have learned. 

Well, then, I'm absolutely eating too much.    I don't feel like I'm overeating - I never feel over-full or even full - I just portion out my food and stop when it's gone or stop if I feel I've had enough before then (and that doesn't happen often).  I have my post-op appointment next week and I guess that I'll ask my surgeon what to do about it.  I'm really devastated right now.  I put so much work and effort into the pre-surgery and was so hopeful about a quick and successful recovery.  I've been so proud of the weight lost so far and so hopeful about what's ahead in the future and now this.    I don't know - I'm so upset right now.  I guess I'm going to just do my best not to focus on my distress this weekend and hope that this hasn't been a complete waste of my effort.  Anyway, nothing's making sense out of my mouth right now because I'm just operating on pure emotion.  That's why I need to just forget about it for a few days.  Thanks for the rule of thumb.  It matches pretty much everything else that I've heard.

(((((Hugs))))))  I am so sorry I did not mean to upset you!  I feel so bad!  One of the things I learned right after surgery is that for about the first month or so there is no feeling of fullness really because all of the nerve endings are trying to heal.  So don't feel bad.  Did your program give you a booklet or handouts or anything with reccomendations on eating post-op?  IF so maybe dig them out and look them over again.  Also take some time and breathe!  Do not get upset with yourself, especially if you were never told what sort of serving sizes you should be eating.  I do hope that you are able to distract and self soothe (ie bubble bath, walk outside in the sun or laying out in the sun, read a good book, watch a funny movie) over the weekend until you can get an answer at your post-op visit.  Please love yourself, be kind to your self and realize this is a journey and usually the first few steps on the path are a little shakey.  PM if you need or want to talk I will be on my computer until 4:00 and then I should be able to check it again around 6:00 tonight.  Love & Hugs! Nicole

NO!!! you need to relax and just find out what your post op says...  How about posting what you are eating?  I'm trying to do that so that I can actually see if I'm out of whack.  Join me??  :) You should be proud!!!  You are doing a fantastic job and I just know that you will keep it up  :) *hugs* we are here for you!!!

Thank you Nicole and Lisa!  I am going to talk with EVERYONE I can next week to get my head screwed back on right...surgeon, nutritionist, therapist.  Everyone heals in their own unique way and pace and I just need to do the best I can with each choice that I make.  My markers for me have to be how closely I adhere to my surgeon's recommendations (and he says that is even debatable) and what the numbers on the scale say.  Yesterday was 30 days since I started my liquid diet and according to my scale I lost 46 pounds in that month!    I have not lost that much weight in one month in a very, very long time so I should be celebrating, not stressing out. I'm cool with posting my daily foods here.  I've been tracking it faithfully on daily plate as well.

WOW 46 pounds!  That is AMAZING!  I say a celebration is defintely in order!  Yes, you are right that this journey is different for each one of us and I am glad to read that you are going to your support people to help you figure out what that means for you!  Keep up the awesome work!