TGIF November 4th

Good Morning Friends !

     TGIF !  We made it. It sounds like we all have a lot going on in our personal and health oriented lives. I'm 140 OTD today.

     My head is all over the place. The upper GI showed a 5cm hiatal hernia and acute reflux. Colonoscopy and endoscopy scheduled for 11/18. I am constantly hungry, which I know is the acid. My PPI has been upped, but no real change.

     The hernia needs to be repaired, but I no longer trust my bariatric surgeon because of all of the complications with my first repair with VSG. I am suspecting a revision to RNY may be recommended, if there is already esophageal damage from acid. In that case, I'd consult with the other bariatric surgeon in the practice.

     134-139 is the healthiest range for me. Still dealing with fluid retention... my thigh high compression stocking came in yesterday, but I am confident my actual weight is currently in that range.  Thinking of what a revision to a RNY will do to the balance I'm working so hard to achieve, makes me very apprehensive. One step at a time.

Diane

LOL on the date - on the discussion list I saw Thursday the 4th and TGIF Nov 4 - had to think about what day it was (and yes, TGIF)!  Diane, so sorry you are going through this but at least you know what is going on and hopefully can get it resolved.

123 this morning - went out for $5 burger night with friends last night and had 1/2 cheeseburger (no bun) and 1/2 my asparagus and was full.  I do love my sleeve! And I have another meal (I always get 1-2 more meals as takeout after we eat out).  

I threw away the rest of the darn almonds after downing a ton of them yesterday afternoon - I am not buying them again.  My sister-in-law (who has great control) and I were talking about healthy snacks that don't "call" to me last night.  I previously had to get rid of the pretzel crisps and nut thins (she can eat them slowly - I keep grabbing handfuls).

Working at home today with many meetings - hoping to get done early enough to do early voting.  DS came home from NYC last night hopefully to make a decision about a job to take.

Have a great Friday!

130.2 - still have some post surgical fluid on board. I have the healing itchies right now and it is driving me crazy. May have to down some Benadryl soon. Boobs are pretty misshapen right now...I imagine they will settle in with time.

Play week for DS#2. Hoping to feel up to seeing the play tomorrow afternoon. I look hideous and will have to wear sunglasses if I do go out. Friend is supposed to come over for lunch today and DS#3 is home sick.

Dh got offered the job near Ft. Lauderdale...doubtful that he will take it though. He has another interview in Fort Myers on Monday.

Paula

200.4.  I think the scale is telling me not to cut loose on the weekends so I won't. 

I went to lunch at Houlihan's yesterday with some co-workers to celebrate one's new job.  I ordered a half of a mushroom Swiss burger with no bun, no fries or other extras and a cup of French onion soup.  The French onion soup is a huge treat for me.  It's what keeps me honest otherwise in restaurants.  I ate half of the soup (all of the cheese, no croutons, some onions and broth).  I ate half the burger and wrapped other half to take home. I had never been to Houlihan's before.  The burger was extremely delicious ... because ... it's cooked in a wine butter sauce. The entire meal was extremely high sodium, which is not a problem for me, except that I'd like to see the scale move. 

I need to remember and take the time to google for restaurant menus ahead of time.  http://www.houlihans.com/eats-and-drinks/menu/nutritional-in formation 

I have continued to avoid the ridiculous amounts of goodies and treats in my office.  I know it is going to get worse so I do not want to break the seal. 

Hello my favorite peeps!

125 today, ok steps and yoga yesterday

DianeO, such tough stuff to be thinking about.  Yes, one step at a time.  I agree with using a different surgeon, too, if only because you don't want to be mentally thinking about last time. 

On my mind:  weight has been fluctuating in my higher end of range --- aaaaand, food holidays are coming up.   My challenges have been grazing on weekends and late evenings.  None of this is drastic but just would like to drop into 121-124 range most of the time --- I'm aok if it takes weeks to accomplish this but it won't happen magically on its own

Strategies:

   -start thinking of Monday as an "official" weigh in day like I did in WL days.  That helped keep my weekend grazing in check. 

   -avoid most routine healthy fats that I added in maintenance

   -go to bed earlier --- my night time grazing is almost always when I could easily just plop into bed and fall asleep. 

   -increased sleep is better for eating patterns the next day, too.

   -continue with trying to keep meal intervals between 3-4 hours.  Very helpful for a variety of reasons, one being that I more easily feel restriction at the next meal if I haven't been eating in-between.  Going too long between meals is also problematic for that next meal.  Meal skipping is NOT helpful for me!

   -avoid thinking of food as entertainment --- again a successful strategy from WL days. With food holidays coming up (esp with me as the cook) I really want to keep this in check.  Nothing wrong with enjoying food, of course!  Just finding balance.

Thanks for letting me muse out-loud. 

Shel

• avoid thinking of food as entertainment. 

Thank you so much for writing that. It is a downfall of mine. I do use food in entertaining ways - to celebrate, placate, relax, enjoy the company of others, visi****ch movies, and on and on. 

Going to bed earlier would help me, too. I do attempt to get to bed at a reasonable hour, but honestly, I'm usually up until 11:30 or 12:00 midnight. When the alarm goes off at 6:13 that's probably not enough sleep throughout the week. 

I am finding that when I go 4-5 hours without eating a meal my restriction is even better. Not sure why that is, but it is so. I don't do well completely skipping either, but pushing a meal back another hour seems to work well. I often have a 12 hour break from eating with the exception of a protein shake in the mid morning. I'm simply not a morning eater and forcing myself to eat breakfast has proven counter productive. So my day looks like this: 7:00 am -coffee; 10:00 am protein shake; 12:00 - lunch; 3:00 - snack (yogurt, or a hardboiled egg); 8:30 - dinner; 10:00ish - yogurt. 

TGIF to all of us. What I am happy about this Friday morning is the fact that when I get up for work on Monday it will not be pitch black. I am so ready for DST to be done - though I will hate the early darkness! I really do love June, July, and August for the long hours of sunlight! Winter dark is not my cup of tea....

I am down yet another 1.4 today. I'm pleased with that. Shows how much my body doesn't like sugar when done in excess! I now must keep my resolve over the weekend and continue to remind myself of my goal for January 4. I have fewer than 10 pounds now to reach that goal. IF I maintain my focus it should be a no brainer.

Thank you to those who answered my question about your portion sizes. That helped me quite a bit. I have always "felt" that my sleeve was larger since it was done with a 40F. My doc said he made it nice and tight, but still there is that nagging worry - especially since I "grew up" with Dr. C patients. Dr. C's patients have notoriously small sleeves the first year or two. It seems that my 3-3.5 ounces of meat plus the ¼ cup veggie and a little starch is on par with everyone else who is farther out. Diane O., Paula, Shel, what are your portions for a meal (not a snack)?

Ella has ovulated (yes there is a doggie test for that!) and will be having a little "fun" throughout the weekend. Fingers crossed for a nice large litter of pups!

Diane O., I'm so sorry you have to face the physical and medical issues with which you have been presented. I have complete faith in your ability to muddle through every aspect of your situation and come to a reasonable decision that is right for you. For now, do your level best to not borrow trouble from the future. While it's difficult to do sometimes, it makes no sense to worry about what might be. You'll only stress yourself more, which is not good for the acid reflux situation. If you are not comfortable with the surgeon who performed your VSG and hiatal hernia repair, you must absolutely find another surgeon. END. OF. SUBJECT! I hope you are able to relax into an easy weekend. How many more days until you officially retire? You are in my thoughts, prayers, and sending of positive energy!

Bon Weekend!

I'm usually between 3-3.5 oz. Protein... more toward 3 if I eat too many veggies.

I rarely eat more then 3 oz of protein at a meal, especially if it is dense like chicken breast or steak. I can actually eat more if i have not snacked. Last week DH and i went to Red Lobster and i ate 3/4 of a salad, 1 biscuit, 3 smallish shrimp and 2 smallish scallops and about 3 small roasted brussel sprouts. i was stuffed but not to the point of pain or throwing up.I would say that would be the max i could eat!