Chapter 14...

Well this week has been all and all a pretty good week. I have been feeling better, and able to get out a little bit more. So this week I am going to start incorporating some fitness into my regime. I am going to drag my butt to water buffalo's (aqua fit) tomorrow night if it is the last thing I do! It is important to maintain physical activity. Also it will be nice to release the endorphins. For anyone who has problems with their legs or back, aqua fit is a fun, low impact work out that anyone can do! Doesn't matter of shape, size or age! Trust me, at our aqua fit class, there are quite a few older ladies and gents who get out there and strut their stuff! The best part about the aqua fit classes are how well I sleep after I get home! lol! I am can't wait for the snow to go, I am not a winter walker, so once it starts to melt, I will be on the sidewalks! Hope my sister's little dogs can keep up!

Pardon me, I will be in the washroom...

Well, I attempted going out to dinner with some friends this weekend. I was looking forward to going to Shoeless Joe's, but when I started going through the menu, there weren't a lot of dishes on the menu that were in my comfort zone. I decided on a non-spicy Thai dish. It was delicious, but unfortunately, it didn't agree with me. I didn't take the time to cut it up small, I was trying to rush through dinner. Now my friends, they all took their time, so why didn't I. I was thinking about it. I thought, I didn't want to be seen as different from my friends. I didn't want anyone to notice that I had ate less then everyone. Truth is, I got stuck, ended up going to the washroom a dozen times, only for my friends to notice I didn't eat very much! Bottom line is, they are my friends, and what the heck do they care if I cut my food up into small bites, or if it takes me longer to eat then them? If I was at home and any of them were here, I would have eaten small bites. I am not going to worry about what others think. I am going to take my time. Thanks ladies for a wonderful evening, and next time I won't spend my time in the ladies room!!

Something we should all do...

I know, that title is loaded, right? I am not going to get on my soap box and start talking about better eating habits, or lowering your blood pressure. What I think we should all do, is take sometime to stop and smell the roses. Now I also know it is winter, so obviously this a metaphor, unless you are like my friends in Florida (maybe next year I will small enough for your suit case!). We are own worst critics when it comes to life. Maybe we should start thinking about how we can be more positive about our selves, and a little less critical of ourselves. Rome was not built in a day, so small steps. Maybe it is just taking 10 minutes to yourself over a nice cup of tea, but destress and move forward. You can't take it with you when you go, so why stress out over it. If we do own positive thing for ourselves each day, we will be able to see the reward, even if it is eventually!

Put on a little lipstick...

You always hear people say, to be successful, you should look successful. I am not sure if I agree with that, but, today I found myself doing my hair, putting on some earrings, and some lip gloss. Now, I am not going to say that I felt successful, but it did make me think I looked wonderful! Sometimes, we go through life frumpy, comfy. But, sometimes we need to realize how beautiful we are, on the inside and out. It made me feel good doing my hair and just taking the time to look nice. Who knows, maybe tomorrow if my allergies allow, I may just put on some perfume with my sweatpants!

Chapter 13...

Lactose intolerant...Words I never thought I would utter! I have been have some abdominal pain in the evenings. Although I have been cramping, I wasn't able to put one and one together until today. I had some cheese and Melba toast today with some fat free sour cream ranch dip today. Mid afternoon, and well, the pain was crazy! I am not a big milk lover, but I do cook with milk a lot! So I think I will be avoiding it for a while. I have been taking my protein shakes with milk, so again, every time I have been having the protein shakes, it has been difficult to keep down. I will be mixing them with water from now on. I have nothing against cows, I am just going to have to find an alternative. I already like the almond milk :)

To answer a few questions...

I thought I would take this opportunity to answer some questions that everyone has been asking. There have been a lot of good ones! Keep them coming!

First question is what is dumping. Dumping is a condition where ingested foods bypass the stomach too rapidly and enter the small intestine largely undigested.  "Early" dumping begins concurrently or immediately succeeding a meal. Symptoms of early dumping include nausea, vomiting, bloating, cramping, diarrhea, dizziness and fatigue. "Late" dumping happens 1 to 3 hours after eating. Symptoms of late dumping include weakness, sweating, and dizziness. Many people have both types. So if I eat too fast, or something I shouldn't, I barf and feel crappy. I have been more conscientious of chewing, looking at labels and keeping my sugar levels below 20 grams per day.

Second question was about restrictions on food. After surgery my stomach became the size of an egg, average persons stomach hold between a litre and a litre and half, and my stomach holds approximately 3/4 of a cup. So it is important to eat the protein enriched foods first! Bread is difficult to digest, it expands when you eat it, so I have, for the first time since December, switched to rye bread, and can only eat about 3/4 of a slice at a time. I have also not attempted to eat rice, it makes me feel like dumping when I eat it. But I am loving the couscous (the food so nice they named it twice!)

It is very important for me to be mindful of what I eat. Like I said it is important to take smaller bites and chew, the opening at the bottom of the stomach is the size of a dime. Also food that have large amounts of fats and/or sugars cause dumping. I am just starting to reintroduce roughage, raw veggies, etc. It is tricky, they have to be super small and I have to chew. Every bite, I count to 30 :) lol!

I am not a fan at this point of homeopathic remedies. Reason being, I haven't had enough time to research things. Also, I am feeling that with the issue (feminine) that I have been having, I am going to stick with the western medicine for now to see how I fare out. I can only swallow medication the size of an m&m, I use to take echinecha and it was a big pill. So for now, I will stick with what I know. Once things get back online with my issues, I will be looking into alternatives! Especially once I find out if I can swallow them! Some medications make feel nauseous now, which didn't before. Midol make me throw up! I can't take any ibuprofen or naproxin based pain relievers because they are hard on the stomach. Also the issues with pill size, I have to check with the pharmacist to make sure I am able to get the medication out the bottom of my stomach. So I do have to be careful.

I use a website call sparkspeople.com. It is great! I also have the app on my phone. Recipes, journaling, etc. It helps me keep track of what I have eaten in a day, and then I can see what I need to eat more of!

Keep the questions coming!!!

Oh the dreaded curse...

Anyone out there ever had PMS? Ok, so I know, you ladies know what I am talking about. Some of the tricks that have worked for me in the past that have worked are warm blanket, midol, CHOCOLATE! So with the feminine problems I have been experiencing right now, I have tried going to my go to's. The problem is I am not able to take midol because of my gastric bypass, it makes me feel sick and well the chocolate will cause dumping! So where do I go from here? Spoke with my OB/GYN and there is nothing he can do for another week! So my pharmacist, who is an incredible woman, took pity on me today and told me to buy some robaxacet. Now I said isn't that for back relief, she said "yes, but it is a muscle relaxant!". If anyone is looking for me, I am at walmart, stocking up on pads and robaxacet:)

Why do we do what we do...

I wanted to take a second to thank everyone for all of their comments! Most of them have been encouraging, and have helped me before and after the surgery, get through the hard stuff. Some people have not been so happy about my remarks, posting my actual weights, and so forth. For you people I am sorry! For the other people who have been reading my blog, sending me words of encouragement, I sincerely thank you! Someone asked me today, why a blog? Why are you putting yourself out there? The answer my friend is simple. I have always been a tell it how it is kind of person. I have always looked into something 100 times before I do something. If I can help anyone from my experiences, make someone laugh or just plain tick them off (just kidding), someone is getting something out of my blog. I also started this blog as a way to cope with the past year, which was not the best of years for my family. I wanted to be able to look back and remember good and bad times and know that the struggle was worth it! I am just an average person, living an extraordinary life, and for that I am truly grateful!
Thank you so much!

Diary of a shrinking fat chick-chapter 12

Decided to get back to my Monday morning weigh ins. So I weighed in at 270 lbs! Yahoo!!! I think this is the smallest weight I have been since the age of 16! I have to admit it does feel good! I have been enjoying this Family day weekend with my family. I have also been trying to eat according to the documentation the hospital gave me. I have been trying do that since day one, but sometimes, if I eat to quickly or something to spicy I experience the dumping, so I just stop eating. So today I thought I would try a piece of rye probiotic toast. It was a slow process. But I have to say, I love bread! So it was worth the process. I don't think I can go back to ever eating white bread, but I can live with this compromise. Rye breads are great! Flavourful! I think that that is part of North Americans problem, we get caught up in what we love and instead of a small treat every now and again, we completely over due it when we find a good thing! I am guilty of it! Homemade white bread was my weakness! But, now getting my head around that I just can't do it, means a healthier me! Not to mention, I really think it would be far to painful to eat! Enjoy your day :)

Diary of a shrinking fat chick-chapter 11

So yesterday I weighed myself. I am up about 3/4 of a pound. I am hoping it is water retention! lol! Actually, it could be the switch from soft foods, to regular. Not exactly sure. I have been making this transition for a couple of weeks and it has been difficult. Just when you think one thing is ok, another thing starts the dumping syndrome. I haven't had a piece of bread for weeks. I had a hankering for a piece of toast the other night, and I toasted a pita and ate it. It took away the craving. Which I was extremely thankful for! I can't wait to get back to ruffage! Who would have ever thought someone would miss a salad so much! But I do! I have been taking it easy on spice thou, just because it seems to cause some dumping. I am reintroducing spices slowly. But the best part of my week, was putting on a pair of jeans that were from 11 years ago! They fit, I didn't have to lay down on the bed to do them up, and I could breathe when I wear them! I am looking forward to clearing out my closet next week!

I guess I just don't get it...

I know lately I have been kind of philosophical, but seriously, what is with people these days? Sometimes you just want to slap them! JUST KIDDING! I was driving today, I was signalling to turn left, at a four way stop, and clearly it was my turn to go, and the lady at the opposite stop sign, who came to a rolling stop, began to go. So I abruptly stopped and she then gave me the finger! I couldn't believe it! I thought seriously, go back to young driver's lady! I have been noticing this a lot more lately, as I have been a passenger lately, and Jeff has been the driver. Road rage sucks, but what is worse is the SIDEWALK RAGE! Which, happened today in front of my children's school! A smoker walking almost pushed a mother and her child into the snowbank, when they were trying to move to accommodate the other pedestrian. What ever happened to do on to others....

I heart you!

So today is that day, the one day of the year that everyone makes sure their significant other know that we love them. Actually, today is the day the florist, hallmark and fancy restaurants make a killing! On facebook today, someone had post a picture of yourself and significant other and state how long you have been together. I did that. But the other stuff, I didn't do! And I don't expect my husband to do. Here is why! One, it is far to expensive! We don't have that kind of cash, we are not the Rockefeller's. Two, we do it all the time as it stands! We always tell each other we love each other, if I want to buy him underwear I do, if I want to take him out for a nice dinner or vise versa, we do! Just because some attached a date to it, doesn't make it right. So I implore you to go out, and for next 364 days and tell your significant other you love them, you can't live with out them and spend time together! Don't wait for Valentine's Day!
PS: Jeff, I love you! You have been told several other times, but I thought you may want to hear it again!

If you can't say anything nice, please just close your gob!

I am making big changes in my lifestyle, as you well know! One is my outlook. I have been for weeks trying to see the brighter side of things, because at times (as we all can be) I am a pessimist. I have been trying to see the good in people and not see the bad. It is difficult sometimes! Yesterday when I was at work, I said something mean, I can't take it back, it was how I felt, but I still should have shut my gob! An injury is an injury! So for that I am truly sorry, I am going to close my chops! How many times thou are we stuck in that situation. Saying what we feel and then back tracking. I am not back tracking, I wish you a speedy recovery. I am going to extend you the courtesy of what I am hoping you extend to me, if you can't say something nice, please, just close your gob! World would be a better place!

Diary of a shrinking fat chick-chapter 10

So I weighed myself yesterday, down to 275lbs! That is offically the smallest weight I have ever been since the age of 16. Which for me is an incredible feat! On the other end of the scope, I have been feeling crappy the past week. Feminine issues, as my husband puts it! I was told last week, that I may need to have a hysterectomy in the very near future. The thought of this is kind of scary. Not knowing what is going to happen to your body when it is all said and done! So after my consult with my OB, we decided to try another avenue. We are going to try another IUD and if that doesn't work then an ablasion. If that fails we will go for the hysterectomy. I have had sometime to think about having a hysterectomy. I am done having children, so what does it matter. I think it is what it represents for a woman. My doctor only wants to do it I'd absolutely necessary. I have a friend who just had it done a few weeks back, and she has been so ill from it! Which is one of the biggest reasons I am going to try the other options first. I know I am heading in the right path! Now if I could just get this eating thing happening!!

Diary of a shrinking fat chick-chapter 9

Have you ever realised the restorative power of sleep. I sure did this week when deprivation kicked in! I have been getting a minimum of eight hours of sleep since having my surgery. I have always heard people talk about it, but now I am experiencing it, and guess what I love getting the sleep!!! But on Friday night, I went out with a friend, and returned home at 12:45. Went to get into bed, the hubby was all over the bed, got him moved over to his side, and then finally got into bed. Laid there and was unable to sleep. The last time I remember looking at the clock was 3:30! Addison woke me up at 7:30! 4 Hours!!! So Saturday, I had to attend a birthday party, got home at midnight, and again didn't fall asleep until 2:30. Up at 6:30 again with Addison. Lucky for me, Jeff showed me some mercy and got up with her and let me go back to bed, as the lack of sleep made me feel nauseous. So I went to bed at 9:30 last night, up at 7 this morning, and feel so much better! Sleep really makes you feel refreshed, and rejuvenated, as it should, isn't that it's job? I am going to make more of a conscience effort to get 7-8 hours a night! I guess I never really realized how much our bodies need it!

Diary of a shrinking fat chick-chapter 8

Well today seemingly was much smoother then yesterday. I didn't have any blockages and I attempted shovelling! lol! Was a snow day here in Barrie :). I did weigh in today, 278lbs. I am only down 3lbs since last week. At first I was a bit discouraged, but after some careful thought, I am just glad to be down some weight! I think back to the diets I had been on, and how discouraged I had been in the past. Even if I am down half a pound, I am going to be happy! I think of the discouraging times in the past. This is a lifestyle change, and I am changing, and that my friends is something to be proud of!

Diary of a shrinking fat chick-chapter 7

Wow the switch to soft solid foods has been difficult. I thought I would be able to tackle a piece of steak. NOPE! I was in agony! Even the other night at a friend's house, I thought a steamer meal would be ok, NOPE! It is tricky. I have been very much aware of what I am eating and trying to eat properly. Tonight, I asked Jeff to take me out for dinner. Which was great! It was a buffet, I made solid choices, but I didn't really think about the fat content of the food until I came home and could barely move. So I laid down for an hour, and a do feel much better. I think, tomorrow I am going to go through a make a meal plan and stick to it. Having food stuck is far to painful, and having the wrong kind of food hurts as well. I am also making a more conscience effort to drink more. I have been having some headaches, and I think it is due to not drinking enough. I am getting on track through, and isn't that the real goal?