What makes today so much different than yesterday?
MAINTENANCE ..... IT IS A NEW DAY .... For me WLS was a DRASTIC step requiring DRASTIC measures .... that had to start with ME.... at least that is what I was told by both my surgeon and my internist ... they told me that I could balance it (moderation) and that I could change it (implement lifestyle changes) and enjoy it too.. . and I did and do...every.day... in spite of....
Why did it not work yesterday and seems to be working today? I can only answer for me ... as a volume eater I needed a tool and I got one .. it was the best choice for me at the time ... it was a DRASTIC measure ... a measure for which I signed an informed consent and was fully aware of all the risks/alternatives and benefits to the procedure I underwent ... I knew my life was on the line when I lay on that table to have my innards re-arranged ... it was a DRASTIC measure that required a DRASTIC change in me...
At my age and having my mobility and health impaired with 5 co-morbidities something had to give ... Nothing has ever come easy for me and I have always had to work hard for whatever I set my heart on ... even with my surgery ... on the very next day (post-op day 2) my blood pressure bottomed out and all I can remember is being told by my surgeon that I had to be taken back to the OR and my son freaking out and yelling at the doctor in the room and I barely whispering 'please God, I don't want to die ... if I survive this I will take care of it' .. and then nothing ... till waking up days later with all kinds of tubes protruding from my body in SICU and wondering where/what the heck?
Recovery was lengthy ...I was out for over 3 months and upon returning to work had a syncopal episode that landed me back in the hospital for over another week ... wondering still WTF I had done to myself and how on earth I would handle this ... to top it off I had this horrible gross sensation/taste in my mouth and throat and what appeared to be everlasting phlegm that had me gagging while pushing liquids because I HAD to do it ... I survived drinking ENSURE which was so GROSS I don't want to ever taste one of those again ever ... until I no longer had to use the ileostomy bag and my gastrostomy site started to heal ... then each day I started getting a bit stronger ... my body started to balance itself ... I remember getting on the treadmill at 2.0 speed for less than 5 minutes and thinking I had walked a mile and was so exhausted I thought I would die ....
But I pressed on .... DRASTIC MEASURES TAKEN ... NEEDED DRASTIC ATTITUDE TO UNDERTAKE THEM .... I HAD TO DO THIS .... I could not give in or give up ... ONE.DAY.AT.A.TIME.... I survived ... I lived through those hard first few months ... I survived my first and second surgeries ... and I had made a promise ... a vow which I intend to keep ... for me first and for my loved ones....
It is not easy ... but it is worth it! IT CAN BE DONE ... with a PUSH and a PRESS and in me, a believer, a prayer and a praise ....as I persevere....
I started to implement changes in me ...starting with knowing my diet pitfalls and making changes gradually... I began to balance my food choices and to either eliminate certain foods from my diet or to eat certain foods in moderation.... I embraced my decision and decided to have fun with it and live it to the fullest .... at my age MOBILITY AND HEALTH were gifts to myself worth treasuring .... and that is what I do...
As I ALWAYS enjoyed pictures/taking pictures with my family ... I decided once I was up and recovered from surgery .. to take a picture a day ... of my journey from this point forward ... and I have ... I decided to continue to enjoy dining out with family and friends and ordering from the regular menu and just eating a small portion and items of my meals that I found enjoyable and within my plan and either doggie bagging the rest or just leaving it on my plate .... I love love love to go dancing with family and friends .... I love happy hour with my co-workers and friends ... I love love love living healthy and mobile and more than anything else I love love love my exercise plan although I have MANY days where I have to give myself a MENTAL KICK to get into gear and get moving when I start making excuses for myself....
Yup ... I tracked it all in my journal ... A PICTURE A DAY KEEPS THE POUNDS AND THE INCHES AT BAY .... I decided to have FUN with things that I ALWAYS enjoyed ...
I stepped off the boat weighing 98 pounds wet a young adult and climbed to my highest weight of 327 pounds .... while a big woman I ALWAYS dressed and rocked my hair in any which style and while a more slender woman now I do the very same thing ... proportion does not matter as much as health and mobility does to me....
This is my week from Monday to today ....
and this was just last week...
I love love love to go out and have fun and dance ... that was me over a year ago dancing beside the chic in the red dress...
And at me at the X-mas party 3 months ago enjoying an awesome glass of Chardonnay...
And me a couple years ago enjoying a nice Corona with my co-workers after an awesome meal at Texas Roadhouse restaurant ...
Me and my friend having enjoying Champaña at a wedding...
THE JOURNEY IS AWESOME .... FOOD IS NOT BAD ... TO BE ABLE TO LIVE AND TO BREATHE AND TO EAT AND TO ENJOY FRIENDS, FAMILY AND LIFE IN GENERAL WITH ALL ITS UPS AND DOWNS ....to be able to run briskly when prior to surgery mobility was so impaired I could not make it up the stairs to assist my daughter who had taken a fall .... to be able to provide for my family here and abroad without my health impaired ... to be able to run and swim and dance and look forward to another day where I wouldn't wheeze and be short of breath and be forever eating without feeling satiety which was my problem ... I find it was all worth it ...
I took a DRASTIC MEASURE ... and I am embracing it with ATTITUDE .... the difference in maintenance now vs. not being able to maintain before? I HAVE A TOOL ... that I risked my life for ... when I revisit my past and how horrible I felt physically even when I pushed myself to the max ... I don't want to go back ...
YESTERDAY...
TODAY...
These are snippets of my Journey post WLS ... I write to encourage myself and maybe someone else .... one.day.at.a.time ..... I know I did not come this far to let go .... I can't ... I am an old fart LOL....
THANKS FOR ALLOWING ME TO SHARE....
Why did it not work yesterday and seems to be working today? I can only answer for me ... as a volume eater I needed a tool and I got one .. it was the best choice for me at the time ... it was a DRASTIC measure ... a measure for which I signed an informed consent and was fully aware of all the risks/alternatives and benefits to the procedure I underwent ... I knew my life was on the line when I lay on that table to have my innards re-arranged ... it was a DRASTIC measure that required a DRASTIC change in me...
At my age and having my mobility and health impaired with 5 co-morbidities something had to give ... Nothing has ever come easy for me and I have always had to work hard for whatever I set my heart on ... even with my surgery ... on the very next day (post-op day 2) my blood pressure bottomed out and all I can remember is being told by my surgeon that I had to be taken back to the OR and my son freaking out and yelling at the doctor in the room and I barely whispering 'please God, I don't want to die ... if I survive this I will take care of it' .. and then nothing ... till waking up days later with all kinds of tubes protruding from my body in SICU and wondering where/what the heck?
Recovery was lengthy ...I was out for over 3 months and upon returning to work had a syncopal episode that landed me back in the hospital for over another week ... wondering still WTF I had done to myself and how on earth I would handle this ... to top it off I had this horrible gross sensation/taste in my mouth and throat and what appeared to be everlasting phlegm that had me gagging while pushing liquids because I HAD to do it ... I survived drinking ENSURE which was so GROSS I don't want to ever taste one of those again ever ... until I no longer had to use the ileostomy bag and my gastrostomy site started to heal ... then each day I started getting a bit stronger ... my body started to balance itself ... I remember getting on the treadmill at 2.0 speed for less than 5 minutes and thinking I had walked a mile and was so exhausted I thought I would die ....
But I pressed on .... DRASTIC MEASURES TAKEN ... NEEDED DRASTIC ATTITUDE TO UNDERTAKE THEM .... I HAD TO DO THIS .... I could not give in or give up ... ONE.DAY.AT.A.TIME.... I survived ... I lived through those hard first few months ... I survived my first and second surgeries ... and I had made a promise ... a vow which I intend to keep ... for me first and for my loved ones....
It is not easy ... but it is worth it! IT CAN BE DONE ... with a PUSH and a PRESS and in me, a believer, a prayer and a praise ....as I persevere....
I started to implement changes in me ...starting with knowing my diet pitfalls and making changes gradually... I began to balance my food choices and to either eliminate certain foods from my diet or to eat certain foods in moderation.... I embraced my decision and decided to have fun with it and live it to the fullest .... at my age MOBILITY AND HEALTH were gifts to myself worth treasuring .... and that is what I do...
As I ALWAYS enjoyed pictures/taking pictures with my family ... I decided once I was up and recovered from surgery .. to take a picture a day ... of my journey from this point forward ... and I have ... I decided to continue to enjoy dining out with family and friends and ordering from the regular menu and just eating a small portion and items of my meals that I found enjoyable and within my plan and either doggie bagging the rest or just leaving it on my plate .... I love love love to go dancing with family and friends .... I love happy hour with my co-workers and friends ... I love love love living healthy and mobile and more than anything else I love love love my exercise plan although I have MANY days where I have to give myself a MENTAL KICK to get into gear and get moving when I start making excuses for myself....
Yup ... I tracked it all in my journal ... A PICTURE A DAY KEEPS THE POUNDS AND THE INCHES AT BAY .... I decided to have FUN with things that I ALWAYS enjoyed ...
I stepped off the boat weighing 98 pounds wet a young adult and climbed to my highest weight of 327 pounds .... while a big woman I ALWAYS dressed and rocked my hair in any which style and while a more slender woman now I do the very same thing ... proportion does not matter as much as health and mobility does to me....
This is my week from Monday to today ....
and this was just last week...
I love love love to go out and have fun and dance ... that was me over a year ago dancing beside the chic in the red dress...
And at me at the X-mas party 3 months ago enjoying an awesome glass of Chardonnay...
And me a couple years ago enjoying a nice Corona with my co-workers after an awesome meal at Texas Roadhouse restaurant ...
Me and my friend having enjoying Champaña at a wedding...
THE JOURNEY IS AWESOME .... FOOD IS NOT BAD ... TO BE ABLE TO LIVE AND TO BREATHE AND TO EAT AND TO ENJOY FRIENDS, FAMILY AND LIFE IN GENERAL WITH ALL ITS UPS AND DOWNS ....to be able to run briskly when prior to surgery mobility was so impaired I could not make it up the stairs to assist my daughter who had taken a fall .... to be able to provide for my family here and abroad without my health impaired ... to be able to run and swim and dance and look forward to another day where I wouldn't wheeze and be short of breath and be forever eating without feeling satiety which was my problem ... I find it was all worth it ...
I took a DRASTIC MEASURE ... and I am embracing it with ATTITUDE .... the difference in maintenance now vs. not being able to maintain before? I HAVE A TOOL ... that I risked my life for ... when I revisit my past and how horrible I felt physically even when I pushed myself to the max ... I don't want to go back ...
YESTERDAY...
TODAY...
These are snippets of my Journey post WLS ... I write to encourage myself and maybe someone else .... one.day.at.a.time ..... I know I did not come this far to let go .... I can't ... I am an old fart LOL....
THANKS FOR ALLOWING ME TO SHARE....
RNY 2/5/07 no regain having implemented lifestyle changes....
says it all 
Sonafi ... you are equally beautiful and uplifting ... prolly more than I ...
Right now I am sitting at my desk enjoying a cup of mint tea and a piece of awesome protein PB cake made this morning in less than 5 minutes .... It is a recipe copied off a protein cake shake recipe shared by Beemer a Ds'er a while back and I tweaked it ... 1 scoop chocolate whey protein 1 tbsp baking chocolate (powder) 1 small egg 1 tbsp of PB2 powder 4 packets splenda pinch of baking powder half cup of water Mix with mixer in a microwavable bowl Zap for 3 minutes ... End product...
and IT IS YUUUUMMMMMMMMMMYYYYYYYY AND SOOOOOOO FILLING ... AND I LOVE HAVING A PIECE WITH COFFEE OR TEA ... TODAY IT IS MINT TEA AS I HANDLE PAPERWORK ... LIKE THIS ... NOW...
it is easy and delicious ... high in protein and low in cals ... and filling...
Right now I am sitting at my desk enjoying a cup of mint tea and a piece of awesome protein PB cake made this morning in less than 5 minutes .... It is a recipe copied off a protein cake shake recipe shared by Beemer a Ds'er a while back and I tweaked it ... 1 scoop chocolate whey protein 1 tbsp baking chocolate (powder) 1 small egg 1 tbsp of PB2 powder 4 packets splenda pinch of baking powder half cup of water Mix with mixer in a microwavable bowl Zap for 3 minutes ... End product...
and IT IS YUUUUMMMMMMMMMMYYYYYYYY AND SOOOOOOO FILLING ... AND I LOVE HAVING A PIECE WITH COFFEE OR TEA ... TODAY IT IS MINT TEA AS I HANDLE PAPERWORK ... LIKE THIS ... NOW...
it is easy and delicious ... high in protein and low in cals ... and filling...
RNY 2/5/07 no regain having implemented lifestyle changes....
Martita: What a legacy you are leaving! You so inspire all of us and always bring smiles with all of your pics and stories.. You know you are a true talent ..why you've even inspired me to draw pictures of myself.. (ugh!) but laughable and relaxing to do! Keep it up girlfriend... I depend on you to bring a smile to my face, especially on a challenging day fighting off food urges! (Darn those goldfish crackers!!!) Love ya and your posts, too! Keep up the great job!!! Hugs Mary
Molly ... I love those goldfish crackers ... I can get to love them a little bit too much too ... so I grab a handful in a cup of soup ...BUT .... I tell Al to HIDE THEM! those and the Brazil Nuts .... girl please ... sometimes moderation is a TEST LOL .... I REFUSE to wear one too many of those little jokers on my rear end ... and I refuse to eat them out of the bag too ... that bag is a trickster ... take one peep and the whole bag is gone LOL and I am left wondering I KNOW I DID NOT POLISH ALL THOSE OFF ...so I get the mini bags instead .... there is almost always a fix ... and if I overdo it I will run..swim..dance..or zumba it off LOL .... it is all good...
RNY 2/5/07 no regain having implemented lifestyle changes....
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