Carrying On

Last Thursday I attended my first of 4 mandatory classes. It was the about preparing for surgery and part two of a nutrition class. I haven't taken part one yet, but this one was the meatier of the two. The amount of information you need is overwhelming, so it's good to get it all at once and then revisit as needed. I learned about the different types of food I will be eating at different times after surgery. It goes from two weeks of clear liquids, to full liquids, to pureed and then soft foods. Eventually I will return to normal foods, but you definitely don't want any food getting stuck in the new stomach and intestinal connections while they are still swollen. John attended the class with me and said he hadn't realized the life changes that go along with gastric bypass.

Yesterday I met with the same nutritionist for a one-on-one meeting. We discussed how I normally eat, losing weight before surgery, and tips for making changes now rather than waiting until it is necessary. It was very helpful.

I have been making several changes in my diet. We went to one of my favorite Mexican restaurants last week and I didn't eat ANY tortilla chips. They are so addictive that I didn't want to risk even one. I'm trying to stay around 1200 calories, which is much less than my norm and I have been starving at night. Tonight is the first night that it hasn't been distracting. I am also tracking what I eat with an online program. So far I have lost around 4 pounds, which feels good. The next couple of weeks will be tough, given the holidays, but I'm not worried. I'm not going to try to lose weight, just maintain.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Early Struggles

I am trying to get started on those 10-20 pounds I've committed to losing before surgery. I guess it's not shocking that I am struggling. I do fine during the day, but oh those nights. I get soooo hungry. At least that is something that the surgery will help by reducing my hunger. It's not head/emotional hunger, just plain (staying up too late) hunger. I forgot that I was planning to get my lab work done tomorrow and I ate well after midnight, so I guess I'll shoot for Friday morning to do it. I have made some positive steps. I love sweets but I have been able to reduce the quantity of what I was eating. Also, I'm definitely eating healthier, concentrating on proteins (which will be very important post-surgery) and fruits and vegetables. Tomorrow I plan to attend my first required class, a meeting with the surgeons. Today I made an appointment with the dietitian for next week. Things are moving right along! A benefit to all these preparations is that I feel good about myself because I am actively doing something to improve my health. :)

Answering Questions

I am blown away by the support I have received so far and I'm very grateful! Today I would like to answer some questions that I have been asked on Facebook and here on the blog. I have tried to adjust my settings to make it easier to comment.

Q. So you're not wanting to do the Biggest Loser camp because it's $10k, you have to work hard to lose weight and make a lifestyle change, but instead rather put that money towards unnecessary surgery so you can continue to be lazy? That makes a lot of sense.
A. I have a 25 year history of dieting and you can guess by my current weight that it hasn't been very successful. I'm not even one of those people who loses 50 pounds and gains it back. My most best attempts have been 12-15 pound losses, followed by the usual regain. The reason I don't want to go to the Biggest Loser Resort is because I don't think that it is the solution that will work for me. I'm sure it works for some, just not me. The reasons I think my chances are greater with gastric bypass are because my stomach will be much smaller and fill up faster, the part of the stomach that produces the hormones that cause you to fill hungry and crave sweets is removed from the digestive process, the stomach's ability to absorb all the fat is temporarily decreased, and your eating habits are changed, hopefully permanently. It is NOT the easy way out. It is major surgery that is meant to be a tool, along with eating well and exercise, to help you lose weight. The statistics for those who lost weight with surgery and kept it off are much higher than just with diet alone. I am also hoping that paying the $25,000 will contribute to my seriousness in taking this path. For me, the benefits are not just losing weight, I also have a 90% chance of leaving the hospital with my diabetes in remission with little chance of coming out of remission. That's huge! My mother, grandmother, and grandfather all lived with the complications of diabetes and died due to them.

Q. I'm so excited for you Jackie! It's very cool to see you hopeful about this and your determination to make this work. What will you be doing to lose weight before the surgery? You go girl!
A. Thank you! I am taking it slowly. I am starting by cutting down and then cutting way down on sweets and carbs. I will reduce my calories to about 1000-1200. I am also trying to increase my activity level to actual exercise. :)

Q. Did they prescribe a vitamin or do you need suggestions?
A. For now I just supposed to take a regular multi-vitamin. Next week I will have my bloodwork done and it will show any deficiencies and they might change what I take.

Thanks again for the support!

Meeting With The Surgeon

My first meeting with Dr. Basa was on Monday! The weather was cold, and although it wasn't part of my evil plan, I wore jeans and a big belt. That added a good three pounds to my first weigh-in. The nice thing about that is that it will look like I've lost more weight than I have (if the next time I wear my usual uniform of exercise shorts and a t-shirt). I'm not trying to play games...really. Anywho, the appointment began with someone taking my vitals and then meeting with the bariatric coordinator. The BC asked me a lot of questions like what are my trigger foods and do I binge eat things like a whole bag of chips or a half gallon of ice cream. I said maybe a half of a bag of chips or a pint of ice cream. Chips truly are a trigger food. I enjoy them but they aren't my favorite food, but I can't stop once I start eating them. We talked about my diet history (Weight Watchers, Phentermine,lots of unsuccessful attempts), when my weight gain started (late teens, but really after the birth of my first baby). What kind of surgery do I want (RNY, aka laparscopic gastric bypass)? How long have I considered weight loss surgery (around 5 years, not entirely sure)? Why do I want to do it now (I want to see my grandchildren and not die a horrible death like my mother, and other reasons)? The doctor came in and pretty much asked the same questions. We also discussed my recent 4 year depression that I am so HAPPY to have gotten behind me. Dr. Basa said that I am a good candidate for bariatric surgery and she agreed with my choice of RNY, especially with my diabetes. I signed a contract agreeing to lose 10-20 pounds before surgery. I also agreed to start exercising, start taking a multi-vitamin, and quit drinking caffeine. Before having surgery I have to lose the weight, attend 3 classes (nutrition, exercise, and a surgeon's meeting) and attend at least one support group meeting. I also have to see a cardiologist, nutritionist, a psycho-therapist, and Dr. Basa will perform an endoscopy (I think) to check for any hernias and ulcers. I also will be having some lab work done to check for a bunch of things including vitamin levels. I am waiting to talk to the finance guy, but as I stated earlier, I will be self-paying. After the meeting they took my first "before" photo. It was very exciting to feel like I was getting closer to undergoing this surgery, which looks like it might be happening in February. Wow!
PS Thank you for all the support!!!

A Quickie

I just wanted to write a quickie post about Thanksgiving and telling everyone about getting bariatric surgery. Apparently it's one of the big questions, whether to tell people or not. I am not a very secretive person so I decided I would not hide the fact that I am pursuing surgery. I can't hide my butt, why hide how I'm trying to fix it? Everyone took it very well, which made me happy. My mother-in-law even gave me a hug. My father-in-law was pretty quiet, but I totally expected that he would't agree with the idea. The day after Thanksgiving, my brother-in-law called my husband and suggested I look into the Biggest Loser Resort. For around ten thousand dollars you spend a month at a fancy fat camp. It actually looks pretty cool, but I know my track record and I don't think that will help me in the long run. Those kinds of successes are short term for me. I am still very excited about undergoing the surgery. I had my appointment with the surgeon on Monday. I hope to write a post about that in a day or so.