Update on Appt

Sorry not to have updated results of my appointment sooner, I needed a day to digest everything.  Kids are doing well, colds on the way out the door, one back at school (bit sooner than I really want but very difficult for him to catch up after being away) Little one I think will head off for the afternoon classes today.

Ok, so Monday afternoon I had my appointment with the specialist. I had tried to prepare myself for every possible thing he might say as I was told he was very blunt. He is, but I happen to like it, I know were I stand in no uncertain terms. However prepared I thought I was, I was not prepared for somethings.

So here is the official run down.  I am morbidly obese, nothing I didnt already know (prepared for that one)  I have slightly elevated cholesterol, which will be treated with medication and diet. (Slightly surprised with this, as last time I had it checked they were fine) I am in the beginning stage of diabetes. (Not surprising as my father was diagnosed two yrs ago with adult onset, and my mother was just told she is in a similar state as myself a few months ago) I had prepared for this.  My blood pressure was extremely high. (Shocker!) My blood pressure is always in the slightly low, to normal range, even under stress historically.

Now for the "WOW" moment.  "You have two children that need their Mother. If you continue and do not get a handle on your health, in 3-5 years you will die." Simple, direct. That I was not prepared for at all. He continued on and said "But together we are going to get you healthy, your husband and children need you. What will they do without you?" Well ..... I knew my health was on the downward spiral, that is why I went to the Doctor to begin with, but I was NOT prepared for this at all.

So, what is the plan? Well, I must first and foremost quit smoking. (I know that, but I also know I have smoked for 26 years and it aint going to be easy to just drop my buddy who has been there thick and think with me. Infact, it terrifies me more than you mhttp://www.obesityhelp.com/group/bariatricbuddy/discussion/board_id,12404/cat_id,11604/action,post/uzone,messageboard/ight realise) This is not a surprise, but something I have struggled with for years and years. Great.  He has perscribed Wellbutrin to help with it and my depression.

I am taking Metformin for the diabetes, my Dad takes this also, so not too shook up by that. Crestor for the cholesterol. Omega 3 for the fat in my liver. And two others that I cannot remember, and dont have yet the pharmacy will deliver them, hopefully today.

I need to exercise. Well if I could move without pain that brings tears to my eyes and takes my breath away, I would. Now I need to figure out how to do that.... any idea would be appreciated. I need to loose 8 pounds by the next time I see him, the 4 of January. (Guess I need to go buy a scale, I have refused to have one in the house for years) 

I need to have a sleep study done. Have my appointment, night of Nov.1.  Need to have a colonoscopy done. (This is yet another fear! See my father was diagnosed with rectal cancer 14 yrs ago) So if I do not hear back from that specialist in two weeks I am to call his office, he wants it done in the next 4 weeks.

So, all in all, this appointment was almost more than I could take, and I had steeled myself for it the best I knew how. I am sure some of these things are not new to any of you, but they terrify me. 

I did discuss WLS with him, he is all for it, but not for 6 months, he wants to work with me for that time before he approves it. I can live with that. So in the meantime I need to eat healthy well balanced meals.

Alright, I need help. Plain and simple. Can some of you offer some guidance on diet for now and exercise ideas? I dont even know where to begin. I have two kids who tho not picky for the most part, do have issues with food texture. Maybe just some ideas how I can tweak regualr recipies so they suit my new diet, but will not be so new that my kids revolt? "And just what is a healthy well balanced meal anyways?

Well I am off, any help would be appreciated more than you know.

P.S. For all those inquiring minds out there, my name is Audean (c:

audean, well u have a lot on your plate and a lot to digest.  a healthy diet is as close as the internet.  lean meats, lots of chicken, fish, turkey. cut back on the beef and pork.  lots of fresh veggies and fruits. cut back a lot on breads. control your portions. up your amount of protein as  much as you can but under 100 grams a day.  exercise can be done in your kitchen chair at first. there are video tapes out there for older people who need to exercise in the chair.  check out the internet. after u have lost some weight it won't hurt so bad.  you need to start today, don't put it off. us fat people are really good at putting things off. make a list of what is important to you.  like your doc said, if you don't do something, you won't be around in a few years.  maybe looking at what is important will help give you the resolve to really get active. good luck to you audean.  let me know if i can help you.  oh yeah, you need to get on a doctor's supervised diet for at least 6 months. most insurance will require this in order to pay for your wls.  talk to your doc about this, see if he is willing to supervise you.  he can even give you a diet to follow.  as far as your kids go, you will be doing them a huge favor by getting them to eat healthy now.  good luck to you. vick

Good Morning Audean.  I like being able to greet people by name. 

Sounds like the MD gave it to you straight up.  Make a list of the reasons to be healthy and stay around for your family.  Get rid of the smokes, have someone help you clean the smoke odor out of the house if you need help with that.  Also includes washing the things in the closets to really get rid of the odors.  Take it one day, hour, minute, second at a time.  I agree with Vick about the exercise things online. 

Did your MD set you up with a dietician appointment.  The weight loss centers each have nutritionist working with them.  This person is a great resource for healthy nutritious meals.  Start keeping a food log, what you eat, the feelings surrounding why you are eating.  Remove the unhelathy food from the house.  Or at least do not buy the chips, cookies, candy, junk with future trips to the store.

Take the appointments one at a time.  They have wonderful medications for you for during the colonoscopy, you will not recall it at all.  Come back here to the buddies page for support and keep us updated on your progress.  ((((Hugs)))))))), Kathy

That is a lot to digest. Your Dr. is very blunt, but that's because he wants to help you, too. You know what you have to do....just make a committment to do it ONE DAY AT A TIME. Can you eat healthy for one day? Sure you can. Can you lift some soup cans like they were weights for 5 reps? Yes you can. Do it for one day. And then....do it for another.  And one more. Your family is worth it but most importantly YOU are worth it.  Keep checking in with us and let us know how you are doing. The ppl are so supportive and loving...don't ever hesitate about sharing.

PS I'm sending lots of prayers your way! Do not give up, You can do this!

Hugs,

Audean,
Oh honey.. you have a lot to sort through and deal with, and lots to do to get yourself going in the right direction. WE are going to be here with you by your side every step of the way. You need to vent.. vent to us. You need a hug.. we give em out constantly! You need to really talk...pm me and I will send you my phone number. We are here and will remain here for you. You got some very good advice from the other ladies!
Okay.. down to business! My turn.. lol. Got a printer handy? you may need it..lol

First thing is first. Get the WHITES out of your diet.  No white breads or pasta (whole grain only). No white rice (brown rice is fine). NO sugar! if you need sweetners, use splenda or stevia, and if you must have a real sweetner, use honey. It is natural, not refined. NO white flour, if you must use flour, use wheat flour. or go to a health food store (even better) andlook at the healthy varieties they offer. Best to avoid flour as much as you can tho. No soda, even diet soda is known to contribute to weight gain.. yep thats the truth! If you are a big soda drinker cut down by half now, then in 3 days cut down by half again, until it is out of your life. Limit potato intake severely, using only REAL potato when you do. sweet potato is the way to go, if you can tolorate them.

Drink LOTS of water as this helps flush toxins and lost fat and other gunk out of your body. Also with better water hydration, you will not hold as much fluid in your system, thus easing the work your heart has to do, and losing tha****er weight. If you are like me and don't care much for water, drink a vitamin water, sold in the water section at your grocery store. there are zero calories and carbs in it and you get extra vitamins.

CUT the fat intake. If you need butter, ue real butter and not margerine, as it is natural and healthier, but use only very small amounts if you NEED it. Learn to prepare your foods baked / grilled/ broiled/ slow cooked and avoid frying as much as you can. When you must fry use extra virgin olive oil, and only a small amount, or use nonstick spray from olive oil or canola oil. again in small amounts. When using mayo or ranch type dressings, use half mayo or dressing and half plain low fat yogurt mixed in to it. and always choose the lower fat versions of the dressings and mayo's you do use. Use turkey bacon instead of pork, same with sausages if you eat that. Beef is okay if it is VERY lean, once or twice a week. Other than that refer to Vicks suggestions on meats. Ground turkey works as a great substitute for ground beef in most any dish you can immagine, except maybe burgers, then use a very very lean beef and have a smallllll burger. change to 2% cheeses and a lower fat milk.

Colorful fruits and veggies and dark green veggies are the highest in nutrients. When having salad, use a spring mix so you get more of the darker greens. Spinach leafs are great in salad, and do not taste like cooked spinach. Try spagetti squash in place of spagetti noodles. When you do eat noodles make sure they are whole grain only, and in small amounts.

I could go on and on here, but I think for now, this is more than enough for you to digest. (pardon the pun). Now don't panic.. don't get overwhelmed. Pick a handful of these things and implement them, after a week or so, implement more.. and so on. A benefit to changing over in this way is that it is more gradual, and the family is less likely to notice the changes. Do not even mention it to them, they may not notice at all, if they do, tell them you are just trying out new foods, if you don't wanna scare em with the "eat more healthy" idea. Within a month or so, have as much implemented as you can, and continue to make changes regularly to healthier alternatives.
Get some Mrs. Dash and some Garlic and herb seasoning, and any other salt free seasonings you think you will like, and use the seasonings instead of salt to get some flavor from food. This will help your blood pressure alot.

Exercise: just a couple of quick idea from me on this subject:
Sitting in a chair, do lower leg lifts. Use cans of food as sukie suggested for arm working, or hand weights. Get videos as Vick suggested for many more ideas and guidance on exercise for people who are limited. Also , google "active at any size" it is a site by the gov't and addresses exercise for all levels of fitness and abilities.

Well, I hope I didn't overwhelm you too badly. DO NOT get stressed over these changes. Make them, but do it as you are reasonably able to, and as quickly as possible, but do not let yourself get overwhelmed. All that will accomplish is to set yourself up to fail, and you can't and aren't going to do that! ((((HUGS)))).  Like my signature line reads..."Just do the NEXT RIGHT thing" if you always focus on just the next thing, it is easier to handle. lots of small steps instead of gigantic leaps.

Hugs to you. You can do this. Lean on us, and let us help you in your journey to health.
Patrece

To all of you, thank you for the words of support and the advice. I KNOW I can do this, I am just feeling a bit overwhelmed and not even sure where to start looking :) I now do.

I am very lucky, some of the changes suggested I had put in place a very long time ago, simple ones like salt. I do not cook with salt nor  do I use it at the table, I use low sodium products as much as I can and can find, and use alot of home made stuff (every year I can tomatoes for example for a much as savings and the idea of I know what is in them)

Other things will take a bit of getting used to, the rice one is going to be an issue in the house, my little one will not even eat white rice that I make into a fried rice, becuase it is then brown, but we will work on it a bit at a time with her. She is very much like my husband lol.

I have done a bunch of searching and come up with a meal plan, recipies and just finished a shopping list for the next week. My little one is still home full of the cold and I asked her to help me pick out things she would like to eat too... so tonight it is low fat nachos and a garden salad. Sounds yummy to me, and I might tweak it a bit more as it calls for extra lean ground beef, but I might try making it with ground chicken instead since my family loves it anyways, If it turns out to be a keeper I will post the recipe tomorrow for you all :)

Thanks again, I am not feeling the best today, I think I am going to go cuddle with my wee lady and relax now till my hubby gets home :)