Rules, Rules, Rules

Today I am going to go over some of the rules that a gastric bypass patient must follow. Many friends and family members aren't aware of these simple, yet life changing, rules. The most important are what my nutritionist referred to the "Rules of 30". They are as follows:
1.) Chew your food 30 times before swallowing.  I have become somewhat accustomed to this rule. It has taken me awhile but I now for the most part follow this rule. Unless of course I am eating applesauce :O) The obvious reasoning behind this rule is first, there are very few people who chew their food thoroughly. Second, the majority of my stomach was cut away and what I have left produces very little stomach acid. We all know that acid is needed to digest food. There are also digestive enzymes in our saliva and by chewing our food well, our saliva helps begin food breakdown for when it reaches my pouch.
2.) Take 30 minutes to eat your meal. This rule is to help slow down one's eating habits. Also included in this rule is that meals CAN NOT be eaten in front of the TV, on the go, or in front of a computer. Now, in my house we always eat at the dining room table so it was not a problem implementing this rule.
3.) Nothing to drink 30 minutes before a meal. This rule isn't too hard to follow either. Obviously, if I were to drink a big glass of water before my meal, I would have no room for my food. Remember my pouch (stomach) is the size of an egg which equals to about a 3oz capacity. These 30 minutes allow my pouch to be empty for a meal.
4.) Nothing to drink during a meal. Yes, you read it correctly. LOL This has been my hardest challenge by far. I typically would drink 48oz or more WITH MY MEAL. I would cool off my mouth after biting something hot, eating something spicy, wash food down, etc. I terribly miss the feeling of an ice cold drink with my meal. I will occasionally take a "sip" of something, but most often I don't even have a drink at the table. Now, there are several reasons behind this rule. Firstly, when people don't chew thoroughly they tend to wash the food down with a gulp of their drink. Second, if I were drinking with my meal, the liquid would take up precious space (remember 3oz capacity?) in my pouch. Third, if I were to drink with my food it would make it "soupy" and slosh right out of my pouch into my small intestines. Thus causing me to be hungry before it is time to eat again.
5.) Nothing to drink 30 minutes after a meal. Again, this has everything to do with making the food soupy and washing out of my pouch before proper digesting.  I have found that this rule is tricky. Depending on what I eat, I find that I am very thirsty after a meal. Proper hydration helps with this but does not curb the thirst totally.

Ok, enough of the rules! These have become part of my "lifestyle changes" and I believe that they are helpful. They are also what my nut recommends and if I am going to do this....well, I"m going to do it the right way! Otherwise, I am setting myself up for failure and I believe I have failed with my weight enough in life.

Quote of the day: "The first rule is not to lose. The second rule is not to forget the first rule.”

Song of the day: "Unskinny Bop" by Poison

Post Op Pizza Bites

Last night (after dinner) I decided to try some of "Eggface's Pizza Bites". The were absolutely yummy! The recipe makes 24 mini bites. Like I said, I  made them AFTER dinner so I will be freezing some of them. I believe they will be something yummy that I can put into the kids lunch boxes. I usually don't take pictures of my food either, but since I wasn't planning on eating these bites just yet, I thought I would try. These little bites are yummy and cheesy and I can't wait to try dipping them in some warm pizza sauce! If you'd like the recipe check out Shelly's website and there are tons of different versions of bites to try! http://www.theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/ is the place to find it. There is a link on the left that says "Bites". I cant wait to try one with spinach!!!!

On another note, I have been having trouble getting in all of my protein and liquids in a day. I am remembering to take my vitamins better but it seems I am just not hungry. When you don't feel like eating you don't think of eating and therefore time just passes you by. I have found that if I skip a meal (or two) that I am starving by evening and then I eat too fast and THEN something gets STUCK because I didn't chew my food well enough! I have had a few bouts with this and I know it comes from not chewing my food enough or eating meat that is too dry. There are fewer things that feel worse than when a lump of  food gets stuck. It is the worse kind of pressure right behind your breastbone and it hurts to breathe. You want to vomit! Yuck. Sorry to bore with gross details, but this is just my way of re-enforcing what I learned pre-op. I figured out that "Your stomach will treat you the way you treat it". In other words, if I am nice to my pouch and put healthy, well-chewed food into it...it likes me. If I put un-healthy or not-well-chewed food into it, well, it not-so-politely reminds me what I did wrong! It is a continuous learning experience.

Quote of the day: "You learn something every day if you pay attention."

Song of the day: "Red Red Wine" by UB40

Yummy Sugar-free deliciousness

Today's topic is dedicated to SF Torani syrups. They have totally made my (post-op) life yummier (is that a word?). I have to give a shout out to my blog-friend Shelly http://www.thewordaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/ for introducing me to these delectable syrups. I use them in many different ways (usually in a "Eggface recipe") but I add them to my protein shakes, drinks, desserts, yogurts, cottage cheese, etc. There are sooo many ways that you can use them. I have also found their website to be helpful with recipes as well. My kids even have their own (small) stash of regular Torani syrups for snow cones, homemade Icees, and drinks. Can't say enough about these syrups and how much I heart them.

Check out the above link because Eggface is giving away a pack of these syrups and you can enter to win on her site!

Inspiration for the day: "One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it's one worth watching."

I'm listening to: "Hungry like the Wolf" by Duran Duran

Walk on the wild side

Today the family and I went to the local zoo.It is "one of the nation's largest natural habitat zoos". Check it out http://www.nczoo.org/. It has been a few months since I have been to the zoo (we have an annual membership) and the last time that we went (just me and the 2 boys) I had a hard time keeping up. Granted the weather was 95 degrees that day with high humidity. That trip was also pre-op. I suffered through the trip and we only covered half of the zoo due to heat and me being totally too tired to walk. Not to mention that I sweat like a pig the whole time!
Now that I am 40 lbs lighter, I really noticed a difference in my stamina and endurance. I actually carried the backpack on half of the trails. I felt much better, had no trouble breathing and barely broke a sweat! Today's temperature was over 85, so it was a cooler day, but I truly can FEEL a difference. I also forgot to mention that I did all of this after working a 12 hour shift last night and had only slept 4 hours today!!! We covered most all of the zoo and saw many animals that I missed previously and we got to see new exhibits too. Here's some things that we saw:

We had a great time and I continue to be very grateful for this new opportunity at life that I have been given.

Quote of the day: "The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step" -Lao Tzu

Listening to: "Dare you to Move" by Switchfoot

Hello Aunt Flo!

Aunt Flo came for an overdue visit this week. I have been slightly annoyed that she had not showed up sooner. Yes, her visit was overdue by 3 weeks! Wouldn't you know, it's also the same week we had planned a swimming party. I do believe she will be gone by this afternoon.

Things are still going well with food progression. It's odd how I still don't get hungry though. In a way my life revolved around mealtimes previously. Now, I find that I could literally go all day and not eat anything. I know that my hunger will return eventually, but for now, I am enjoying this new feeling. Also something that I have found hard is cooking for my family. I find it really difficult to come up with meal ideas when you have no desire to eat. I don't crave anything particular so I have begun to rely on meal plans for the week. I let the kids pick out a few meals and Luis pick a few. I then purchase all of the needed ingredients for the week and put the list of meals on the fridge. This works for now.

List of positive things:
1) pool party and grilling out tonight
2) Yes, Aunt Flo has gone for the month
3) food progression is going well
4) 40 lbs lost...woot woot!
5) direct result of #4 bathing suit is totally too big for me now!


Quote of the day: "Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there"

Jamming out to "Against the Wind" by Bob Segar

Comparison

I just thought I'd throw in these pre-and post op photos to remind myself of how far I have came in such a short time. Unfortunately, I had not noticed just how ummm....depressed I look in these photos. LOL

I thought it would be smart to take my picture in the same clothes so that I could see how they fit differently as I loose. This will work well until they fall off of me!

The top is the night before I started the pre-op diet. Middle photos are the night before surgery. Bottom photos are 1 month post-op. WOW!!

Quote of the day: "Just cause you get the monkey off your back, doesn't mean that the circus has left town." - George Carlin

Listening to: "You Spin me Round" by Dead or Alive

My how time flies!

So, as the title states...time has flown by so quickly! I am officially 1 month post-op and down (by my scales from my highest wt) 35lbs! I am feeling well and have returned to work.

I am still having trouble remembering to take my vitamins (3 times a day). I have set my cell phone to alarm 3 times a day to help me remember. It helps some, but not enough. I am just hoping I can keep up without becoming vitamin deficient.

As far as energy goes, I still have very little. I feel like yuck after running simple errands. Maybe by the time the kids start back to school I will be feeling better. Luis has been staying busy with his mowing contracts after work, so he is gone a lot. Unfortunately, it's necessary due to my lack of income from my job at the hospital. Soon enough I hope we will be back on our feet again.

I have been trying out new smoothie protein recipes thanks to my new inspiration Shelly http://www.theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/ . The chocolate covered cherry recipe is wonderful and it helps that cherries are in season right now and I happen to LOVE them! Food intake is also going well except for a few minor occasions. I keep wanting to eat chicken (grilled) and evidently I'm not putting enough sauce or dip on it cause it keeps feeling like it's stuck. I mean a hard, agonizing pressure under my chest that makes me want to vomit. I actually WANTED to vomit. I couldn't manage to do it! After letting a few LOUD belches and gags the feeling went away. Maybe I'm just not moistening it enough. I need to try a few of Shelly's dip recipes for my meats because I'm getting bored of salsa. Oh yeah, and mom made my sugar-free BBQ sauce for me and it is DELISH!!!!!!! I am so looking forward to trying it too! Speaking of...time to start dinner! I have 2 hungry boys to feed!

Quote of the day: "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are" Theodore Roosevelt

Jamming out to: "Supermassive Black Hole" by Muse