100 Days

It's been just over 100 days since my surgery!  Can you believe it?!  The time has flown by so quickly and for that, I am grateful!  I'm down over 60 pounds and feel great.

A good friend asked me if it has been easier or harder than I imagined.  To be honest, I think it has been much easier than what I had envisioned it would be like pre-surgery.  I have never once regretted having the surgery.  It has been a fantastic tool for me.  I still have to do the work and I always will, but it has made doing what I need to do, well, doable.

Why?  Here is goes.

Things that are easier:

1. Sickness.  I swore I would get sick and throw up and not feel good.  I was so not looking forward to that aspect of the surgery.  I thought I'd take a bite and be running to the bathroom.  This happens to people.  But for me... NOT.AT.ALL.  I have felt great.  There has not been one tiny ounce of nausea.  No sickness.  Nothing.  I got VERY lucky with this one.

2. Eating.  I swore there would be things I could not eat anymore.  I'm sure there are - sugars and such.  But everything that is on my plan, has been fine.  I'd heard so many stories of people not being able to eat chicken or lean beef or drink milk, etc.  Nope, not me.  I've been able to stomach (haha) everything.  I did have a bite of pot roast once and I thought that might not be the best thing for me, but I never liked that anyway, so that could be it.  Other than that, everything has gone down just fine  - including all restaurant food, which is great!!

3. Being around yummy food I can't eat.  I swore this would be soooo hard too.  It was always my downfall in other diets and such.  But this time around, it hasn't been an issue.  I had really tried to mentally prepare myself for this aspect of surgery.  It's one thing when you can sneak a bite and get over a temptation, but I can't do that.  I do not eat at anytime other than my small meals.  I use to graze and eat when I'd like or when I got hungry.  I cannot do that anymore and this is a huge change.

One of my WLS friends asked me how I deal with being around food that I cannot have right now or not eating between meals.  I told her honestly, that it is easier now, than it has ever been in my life.  WHY?  Because I simple DO NOT have the option of eating certain items.  Could I?  Maybe, probably. But is it on my meal plan?  NO.  Do I want to risk eating something before my stomach is ready?  Nope!  It's just not worth it.  If I'm tempted, I say a little prayer, offer it up and walk away.  Now, I do think that this will be harder come next year.  Very hard.  It will be something that I will have to be very vigilant about.

4. Eating my small amounts while others are eating away.  I was unsure how I'd feel about eating around others.  I have my tiny 1 and 2 ounce containers and they have a regular meal.  I was afraid I'd feel awkward.  I might have been a little awkward at first, but now it does not bother me a bit.  It also does not even phase me if I just sit and drink my water while people eat a meal.  My lunch friends and I will go out to eat at times.  I tag along to be social.  I usually bring a protein bar or my water and just talk while they eat.  They have been so supportive and it does not bother me at all.  They all had delicious looking food the other day and I drank my water.  I think it bothers them more than me.  There have been times that I've ate while we were out as well.  I just tend to eat mid-morning and late afternoon, so a normal "lunch" time does not fit in with my eating schedule.  Since the rest of the world does not revolve around me and my eating schedule (it's shocking, I know!), then I just adapt and roll with it!

5.  I'm sure there are other things... but you get the idea.  :)

Things that are harder:

1. Eating.  Sometimes I just do not want to.  I still have no hunger.  I do not skip meals, but sometimes, I'm just not interested.

2. Cooking.  Goes right along with # 1.  Sometimes I'd rather just eat some cheese than cook a tiny tiny meal.  Luckily, Doug and I are able to share meals and can now eat a lot of the same things.  It makes it all easier! We ALWAYS have leftovers!

3. Keeping my pants up!  Hahahaha!  But seriously, this is GREAT!!!  One week jeans will fit great.  I'll put them on the next week and they will be falling off by the end of the day.  I dry all my jeans on high now - I never did that before.  It's almost like I skipped this size when I was gaining weight.  I have a ton of clothes just a size or so lower and a ton in larger sizes.  So, I just have to get creative.  This is a good thing!!!

4. Ummm... I've got nothing else!

EASIER wins!  This is NOT the case for everyone, but I have been a case of 'best case scenario' for everything.  No complications, no nothing.   I have adjusted to everything with ease.  It's not always easy and it's not always perfect, but for the most part all is good and I am blessed!

I love wearing green!

I LOVE holidays where the entire country dresses in the same color. Four out of five Americans are wearing green today and for some reason, I love it! They might not realize they are celebrating a saint, but still!

Here is a picture of me wearing green last year. It was around April and when I was feeling my heaviest. It was also right after the tragic hair cut.


That green shirt was way too big for me this year. My hair is doing a heck of a lot better too! Here is a picture from this morning. :)


Much much better all around in 2011!! Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Puppy Play Date!

Doug and I went to bed tonight at 6:30PM!!!  I think we were both asleep by 7PM.  We were both so sleepy.  Dang daylight savings times.  Our internal clocks are messed up.  We have NEVER gone to bed that early.  So, at 10PM, I woke up and felt like I'd been sleeping all night.  Not so much! Doug is still sound asleep.  I normally wake up around 2AM for about an hour... so I'm hoping that this little sleep break is just that and I'll drift back to sleep shortly.  So, what's a girl to do when she wakes up in the middle of the night?  Blog about her new puppy of course!

She's cute and she knows it. :)

We finally got to snuggle and play with Daisy!  It was so fun to finally meet her and see her cute little self in person.  We had a great time and now are so anxious to bring her home in two weeks.  :)  Here are some pics!  Oh... and consider these my three month WLS progress pics for now.  I haven't taken any official ones lately!

Love at first sight!

Seriously adorable!

Ahhhh... puppy love.

Happy family.

After some playing... the puppies were exhausted!

Proud parents - Buster and Princess.

P.S.  Doug's been having some stomach pain and had some tests run today.  If you could spare some prayers for him... It would be much appreciated! :)

Puppies and Infertility

As you all know, I am counting down the days until we bring Daisy, our little ball of cuteness home.  We just have three weeks until we have a bouncy cuddly puppy in our house.  I cannot really describe how excited I am to have this addition to our family.  Seriously, I'm bouncing up and down and I don't do a lot of bouncing in my life.  But why? Why am I so excited?  Why do I feel that I NEED this puppy?  Why do I feel that if we weren't getting this puppy and I didn't have this to look forward to, I would be an infertile emotional wreck?

I've always loved dogs.  I had two of them growing up and I loved them to pieces.  We got our first when I was in pre-school, so I don't even remember life without a four-legged friend.  When I was in 7th grade, from one state to another due to my dad's job and my mom and I were terribly homesick.  It was a very tumultuous time for my family - there was a lot going on.  One night, my brother and I, without my parents knowledge, went and got a puppy from a local farm to add to our pack.  I don't know how he convinced me to do this without telling my mom and dad, but he did.  I took one look at the pup that would be our beloved Dee Dee and my rule-following self, flew out the window!  We took her home, put a big red bow on her and 'gave' her to our dad for his birthday. What were we thinking??!! As mad as my parents were that we just went and got a puppy, they quickly fell in love with Dee Dee.  When I was homesick, Dee Dee was there to bring some much needed joy to my life.  When my mom was home alone while my brother and I were at school and my dad was at work, it was Dee Dee (and our older dog B.J., too) who comforted my mom from her deep feelings of homesickness too.  Dee Dee was our little Indiana 'savior' if you will.  He was the one thing that made moving in the middle of 7th grade (bad, bad time to move) bearable.  Dee Dee provided much needed healing for my family at that time.  I now associate that healing and joyous feeling with having a dog.

That brings us to our to-be pup, Daisy.  While Doug and I had talked about getting a dog for some time now, we really hadn't planned to get a dog for a few more years.  In our perfect pre-marriage world, we thought we'd have some kids, get a dog and live happily ever after.  Then infertility struck.  I think I do semi-ok with it most days, some are obviously better than some.  The past several months have been hard.  Real hard.  It is constantly there.  There are constant reminders that we cannot conceive.  It feels like a huge weight that is constantly sitting on my heart.  On the good days, it just feels heavy.  On the bad days, it feels like a mountain that I cannot move.

I am well aware that Daisy is not a baby.  She's a dog.  A pretty stinkin' cute dog, but a dog, nonetheless. She will not fill the void I feel because we do not have children.  But I would be lying to myself and everyone else, if I did not recognize that we are upping our timeline for a dog because of our current state of infertility.  It's so obvious.  I know it and am well aware of it.  But honestly, I don't care.  Daisy has already brought us so much joy, I don't care what the psychological reasons are behind bringing her into our lives.  She has relieved some of the constant IF weight on my chest.  She has given me something joyous to look forward to.  She has given me much needed focus on what is good in my life -- what blessings I/we do have.  She doesn't make me forget that we don't have a baby to love.  But with her, I get to use my mothering side and that, somehow, gives me a little hope for the future.  If our puppy parenthood skills are any indication of how we will be at parents... then we will definitely rock.  We've already gotten Daisy enrolled in puppy school and have her first several vet appointments set up.  With each little puppy toy we buy, I feel elated.  We are getting her 'room' set up, buying baby gates (ha!) and are setting up puppy play dates.  With her in our lives, it seems as if some of the sadness that has encapsulated our home lately, is slowing pealing away.  Daisy makes me unbelievably happy.  Right now, I will gladly take that!!

We have a play date with Daisy next weekend.  Get ready for picture overload! In the meantime... here she is.  She is getting so big!!!  I'm so in love!

Daisy at one month old!

The Scoop on Smokey

So... For those that are wondering... Smokey is fine.  NO KIDNEY FAILURE!!  NONE!!  Oh, how I'd like to punch (in the most Christian way possible) vet #1 for telling us he was on deaths door.  Vet #3 did blood work and said there was NO SIGN of any kidney failure, kidney problems, etc.  He said Smokey might have had a little cold or been sick, so the meds that Vet #1 gave him probably helped with that.  The cat has really perked up this week and seems back to his old lazy self.  But seriously... how does a vet just make up kidney failure?????  Bad bad vet.

In other news... Look at this cutie!  I know, I have a illness called puppy fever.  I think it's an official diagnosis and I do not think there is a cure!  I really have to find something to blog about other than animals!

Mid-Week Quick Takes

1. It has been a week full of ups and downs.  The first down... I took Smokey to the vet on Monday.  I was motivated by my puppy love.  I wanted to get Smokey his annual check-up and shots to get him all ready for Daisy's arrival.  I was surprised that the vet was a new doctor at the same clinic we had been to before.  I expected to see our regular vet, who is a cat specialist.  Nope.  The new vet told me that Smokey's kidneys weren't functioning very well - only working 20%.  He prepared me to tell Doug that we'd either have to prepare to put him down or kitty dialysis (how do they even do that??!!).  This was not good.  It was just suppose to be a standard visit, for the annual check-up and shots!!  Heck, I was by myself at a Cat Clinic! I wanted it to be uneventful and leave with a healthy Smokey.  :(

I even like to snuggle with Smokey in the morning.
Doug obviously took this to capture the rare moment.  

2.  Obviously Doug was devastated by the news.  That was the down of the week.  He decided to call his old vet, who has known Smokey for years, but is now too far away for us to take Smokey for an exam.  We thought that this was the vet that would be seeing Smokey at the first clinic, but she had moved to another location.  She looked at all Smokey's information and said that his health problems did not appear as serious as the first vet told me.  No kitty dialysis and such.  So... which is it??  Is Smokey ok... or not???  Well... we are heading to vet #3 this weekend for the tie breaker.  Meanwhile, we are cautiously optimistic.  And while I am not a cat fan, I'm a huge Doug fan.  I don't want his heart to be broken with the loss of his cat prematurely and I don't want Smokey to be sick.  I just want to know how he is doing.

3. Onto the good of the week!!  I GOT A BIG PROMOTION AT WORK!!!!!!! Finally!  I had been working towards this promotion for almost a year now.  It has been a long time coming and I am beyond excited.  I am moving to a new location in the building and will have an awesome supervisor!  And... I will be out of cubical world and have a window!!!!!!!  WHOOOOOO HOOOOOO!!!!

4. We are having a dance party on Saturday!  Yep, a DANCE PARTY!!  He he.  We are not great dancers, but there will lots of it happening at our house.  I got Doug (really me) Just Dance 2 for his birthday.  It is so much fun and such a great work out.  We look like fools when we do it, but I don't even care.  My work gang loves the game too.  That makes for a perfect combination for a dance party/competition.  I think it will be a blast.  We will also finally be able to break out some of the party platters we got for the wedding.  :)

5. With all the uncertainty going on with Smokey this week, one thing that made Doug and I both smile, was our little puppy-to-be Daisy! We received lots of photos and videos of the little pup this week!  I cannot tell you how head over heals I already am for this little ball of cuteness.  She is now three weeks and is growing so much!  The videos were so fun to watch.  All the pups are running around and beginning their puppy play.  Ready for some cute pictures???  Here they are!  Look how big all the puppies are getting compared to the last pictures!!!  Be prepared for lots of puppy pics... I cannot get enough of them!

I mean seriously... it should be against the law to be this cute!

6. Getting ready for Daisy's arrival (one month from now) has been a good experience.  We are reading puppy, golden retriever and the dog whisperer's books like there is no tomorrow.  We are trying to be as prepared as possible for her to come home.  We are well aware that it won't be all rainbows and joy and want to be ready for the puppy pains as well as the good times.  We did go puppy shopping this past weekend.  I'm pretty sure we had the same look on our faces while we browsed the items at the local pet store as expectant parents have when they enter babies-r-us.  We looked overwhelmed and had so much in our cart it was comical.  We left with a full cart and we still have more stuff to get!  Ahhh!  But it's so fun!

We spent a long time in the toy section. 

Spoiled puppy.

7. On a totally different note... we are finally done with the ice in our area!  Did I really just say that!?  I hope we don't get an ice storm tomorrow because I spoke too soon.  We were ice bound for a week and then we had a little break of 'warm' weather.  Now, it's cold again... but no ice!  I'll take it! Come on spring!!

One of the many huge chunks of ice.

8.  Ok... just one more thing.  My godson Leo was baptized!!  I know Beth already posted about it... but it was so great!!! I am so honored I get to pray for this little sweetheart every single day as his godmother.  So thrilled!  He's the cutest little thing ever!

9.  I lied... one more... It is so obvious we don't have kids.  Almost the entire post is about our pets!  Hahahahahaa!

A Valentine to Remember

Today the sweetest man...

Gave me the sweetest little Golden gift...

I've been begging for a dog for about a year now.  I had been relentless.  My DH loves all animals and he wanted to make sure we were ready to be puppy parents.  It was the right time and the perfect Valentine's gift!  We will pick up our newest family member at the end of March!  She is almost two weeks old right now and I am totally in love.  Daisy, as we are calling her, is still with her mommy.  We have a puppy play date in a few weeks and I cannot wait!! I am totally smittin'... with my wonderful DH and my new puppy!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Progress Pics!

I aim to please and you gals have been asking for some pictures.  I finally had Doug take some pics last week at 8 weeks post-op.  I can tell the difference in how I feel and how my clothes fit (and are falling off!!), but it was great to see a real difference when looking at the pictures!  A big thanks goes out to Ann who put my before and after pics side by side for me!  You Rock Ann!

Yum Yum Yummo

I was really craving to do some cooking this week... to try something new.  We had a major snow storm this week and I wanted a warm dinner!  I was looking around and found these little wonderful 'bites'.  There are lots of recipes for these little bites (mini quiche's) on this site and I was inspired.  Granted, there are several that look so yummy that have ingredients that I'm not ready for, but I will be soon and I'm looking forward to trying some.  So, I came up with a few ideas of my own, all with yummy goodness ingredients that I can eat now.  The result was fantastic.  Yummo!

Here's how to do it.  

Step 1:  Find and/or get out mini-muffin pan that was a wedding gift.  

Take it out of the box and get it ready to use. :)  

Have your camera handy so you can document all the step!  Hahaha!

Step 2:  Saute some diced ham and then mix with some eggs.  I used egg beaters.  

Step 3:  Add some delicious cheese to the egg mixture. 

Step 4:  Spoon them into the greased mini-muffin pan.  Add some cheese on top.

Step 5: Cook the yumminess.  

Step 6:  Enjoy the yumminess! 

I made two different kinds - Ham & Cheese and Broccoli & Cheese.  They were both fantastic!  I tried one of each.  They were the perfect size, full of great texture and protein.  They were just the right amount of crispy and soft and best of all... they were warm!  Perfect meal since I've been freezing all day... well, really all week!  

I cannot wait to try some of the actual recipes on the website.  I have a lot more options coming soon and then I can really experiment!  I'm guessing as great as my little creations were, her recipes are even better!  Yummo!

There's an app for that!

Hello my fellow iPhone addicts!!!  A friend told me about a great app!  It was actually designed by a friend of that friend!  Very cool!

Are you going to confession soon???  There is an app for that!!!  I'm not sure I'll be taking this into the confessional... but it's a great examination of conscience!!  Definitely a great tool!!  Maybe I could get away with it if I was behind the screen!   Is it a sin to be so obsessed with a phone that you purchase an app to remind you to confess your obsession of the phone in confession??  Hmmm.

Here's the LINK!  Now go get all those sins absolved!

Doc knows best.

First... thank you all for your kind words, love and support and all the comments on my last few posts.  Your comments helped me through 'the Sting' and got me to a much better place.  Love you ladies.  :)

I've been back to work a few weeks now.  I was off for 4 weeks and I dreaded going back for many reasons.  One being, I was afraid with having to be at work all day, that I wouldn't be able to get all my liquids/foods/protein, etc. in like I need to.  Well... my doctor assured me that once I stepped back into the office, I would meet my requirements easily every day.  I had my doubts, but she was more than right!  Not a day has gone by in the last few weeks where I haven't been doing everything by the book.  She told me that I would figure out a schedule and that schedule would even work on the weekends.  Right again!  I've developed a routine that works for me and my job and am loving it!  I'm feeling great and the weight is coming off very steadily.  I'm not weighing myself very often (maybe once a week), but my clothes are showing me the weight loss and I'm very pleased with how everything is going thus far.  :)

I've gotten several emails asking questions about what I eat, how much I'm eating and how it all works.  I thought I'd answer some of them by going through a typical day.   Feel free to message me or leave a comment if you have any other questions.  I don't mind answering at all.

My daily requirements are:
1.  Eat 3 meals a day, 2 ounces at each meal.  The amount will increase over time. But for now...
     Breakfast is 1 ounce protein, 1 ounce fruit.
     Lunch is 1 ounce protein, 1 ounce vegetable.
     Dinner is 1 ounce protein, 1 ounce starch.
2.  Drink at least 64 - 80 ounces of fluids a day. (I average 75 - 80 ounces!)
3.  Consume at least 75 - 90 grams of protein each day.  (I average 90 - 95grams!)
4.  Take a bunch of chewable multi-vitamins, calcium, vitamin D, etc., etc.
5.  Exercise at least 30 minutes a day.

First thing in the morning, I take some meds.  Because my stomach was rearranged, the opening from my new stomach (or pouch) to the intestines is very little.  I have to split up my tiny pills and take a 1/2 pill every 15 minutes.  It takes me 1 hour to take 2 tiny pills.  Woozers.  It's not a problem.  I use this time to start drinking my liquids for the day.  I just start sipping on my water and get ready for the day.

My tiny pills.

My vitamins.

After my meds and my first set of vitamins, I drink a super yummy protein shake.  I use this website and I am loving my protein.  Each shake has around 32 grams of protein or more, is easy to make and they all taste great! These drinks are a major reason why I can get all my protein in each day without any problem.  On work days, I might do a combo of milk/dry milk, but for now I'm enjoying these.  Yummo! Here is a delish strawberry banana shake! I also love the lemon, banana shakes and blueberry shakes... and so do Sew and Ann!

Next up is a little more water and then breakfast!  When I'm at work, I typically will do 1 ounce of cheese and 1 ounce of some type of fruit.  Since I was home yesterday, I made myself a special treat.  I had 1 ounce of egg beaters and 1/2 ounce of cubed ham and 1/2 of cheese.  Put them all together and I had a tiny little omelet packed with protein!  

2 oz. omelet!

After each meal, I have to wait 30 minutes before drinking any fluids. After breakfast, I drink my first 20 ounces of water and then I'm back for another protein drink.  Yesterday, I had a chocolate/peanut butter protein shake from the same website as above.  It tasted so good! And it had a whooping 38 grams of protein.

Seriously delish!

Next up is lunch!  The chocolate shake I had yesterday was so filling, I had to wait a bit after I drank it to eat.  It had a 1/2 T. of peanut butter in it, so that is what probably filled me up so much.  After that all settled, I had 1 ounce of chicken with a tiny bit of fat-free chicken gravy and 1 ounce of cucumber slices.  

Next up... more water!  I think water is so important!  I feel so good when I drink a lot of water.  So, I sip and I sip and I sip.  I also take some more vitamins at lunch.  I drink water until dinner time.  If it is a work week... I go and walk at the gym 1 hour before heading home.  While I'm there, I drink 20 ounces of water as well, especially if I meet with my trainer.  They work my butt off... literally! 

Dinner time!  DH and I aren't always eating the same thing, but now that I'm eating more than beans and cheese, I can make a dinner that we can both enjoy.  Mine is just 2 ounces and he eats a bit more.  Last night we had chicken (I made mine into chicken salad) and some mashed potatoes.  I had sweet potatoes last week and they were so yummy as well.  I take more vitamins and some other meds at dinner too. 

Yep, that's a baby spoon!

So... some of my pictures make the food look a little big.  I always eat on a tiny plate with my little one ounce dishes.  The glass bowl and the little plastic cup are both one ounce items.  Here is a picture of my little dishes on a regular plate with a regular spoon.

After dinner, I drink water until I'm ready for bed.  If I'm still needing protein, I might drink some milk/dry milk combo or do another protein shake.  Normally, by dinner, I've had more than enough protein in for the day at this time and just try to get as much water as I can.  Yesterday, I had 98 grams of protein and 84 ounces of water.  So far, so good.  :)

I feel like I am always eating and or drinking.  It's funny that I feel that way, given the fact that I only eat 6 ounces of food a day.  How can I eat so little?  I'm not hungry at all.  I have no feeling of hunger, which is how this all works.  Eventually, as my pouch gets larger, the feeling of hunger comes back, but not for a long time.  I can take a sip of water and feel full.  Two ounces of food is almost too much.    Next month, I move up to three ounces and I do not even know how that if going to work... but it will.  Eventually, I'll have around 8 ounces at a meal.  For now, I don't mind the small amounts.  I still take a long time to eat.  I take everything very slow and it has always worked without a hitch!  I've been very lucky.

Then I go to bed and start all over the next day!  Now I'm off to the gym... have a good day! 

Today in numbers

THREE pregnancy announcements today.

TWO birth stories and pregnant bellies at lunch.

Instead of focusing on those numbers... I'm concentrating on my own numbers.

I'm down TWO shirt sizes and ONE whole (almost TWO) pant size!!!

That makes for ONE happy Jenny!!

The Sting

Doug came home last night and we were doing our normal 'catch up' chatting.  He then took a big sigh and told me that one of his fellow teachers and her husband are expecting their first baby.  

Then I saw it.  I saw 'The Look'. He had the same look on his face that I've had on my face a dozen times.  The look that says, "I'm really happy for them, really I am.... but this hurts.  It stings.  When will it be our turn?  Why is it so easy for other people and so hard for some?"  That look on his face (and the news) stung - bad - for both of us. 

I think the news stung even more last night than with other pregnancy announcements.  I don't even know this couple.  Why should their wonderful news affect me so much?  Because it was the first time that a pregnancy announcement affected my husband.  It was the first time I saw the pain in his eyes that I've felt in my heart for the past year.  It was the first time I saw the fear that we will never have a little announcement of our own.  It was the first time I saw how much infertility hurts my husband.  And that just stings. 

I told you...

I told you there would be party hats! We might have been sound asleep at midnight, but we still had a little fun! Doug is such a good sport. :) Happy 2011 everyone!!

See you later 2010 and some updates!

I will not miss 2010.  Between broken pipes, broken floors, lightening and broken bodies... 2010 has been a year.  It has not been all bad.  There have been some great great times mixed in with the bad and I'm thankful for it all.  Well, maybe not this one. I've learned a lot, made some of the best blogger friends ever and DH and I have never been better.  Even still, I'm looking forward to ringing in 2011 and a fresh new start!  I think we are ringing in the new year on an upswing.  DH and I are both moving to a healthier lifestyle and are determined to make 2011 a year of good health (even if that includes some surgeries!). DH and I even have little party hats for New Years Eve.  Granted, DH is trying to sleep off a horrible cold right now, but still, we are still wearing those hats tonight!! I'm sure he will love that!  Hahahaha!  I'm not sure we will make it to midnight, but we will see!

I'm three weeks post-op from my WLS and doing incredibly well.  I am SO thankful that everything has gone so well.  I have yet to feel any hunger and still need alarms and reminders to eat.  I'm eating food for nourishment only and that is great.  I'm eating 2 oz. meals, three times a day.  My food staples right now are refried beans and string cheese.  See... nourishment only.  It is not about taste right now!  Eating still takes me a long long time.  Two ounces takes about 45 minutes to an hour, depending on if it is beans or cheese.  I still set a two minute timer between each bite and wait.  I feel like I sip water and/or protein drinks all day long!  Sipping 64 - 80 ounces of water/liquids takes all day.  Literally, sipping, from a sippy cup or sports bottle.  I use the sports bottle for most drinks and drinking too much at a time can cause some serious pain.  Luckily, that hasn't happened much for me.  So, I just sip, sip, sip and sip some more.

I am just now finally getting in all my liquids and all my protein (at least 70 - 90 grams a day).  It seemed like the first several weeks, no matter how much I sipped, I could NOT get all the liquid in.  I struggled with this so much and I was always coming up short!  The protein was equally hard, but once I started to eat more cheese, it got a bit better.  For my protein drinks, I'm mainly doing milk with dry milk mixed in.  It taste good to me and gets me to my protein goals the majority of the time.  I haven't found a protein mix or drink that I like more than the plain old milk/dry milk combo.  I bought samples of things to try, but I just gag when I try to drink them.  I'm a water and milk gal and it is really showing here.  I'm far from perfect in the liquid/protein department, but I'm getting better day by day.  It's kind of like a one step forward, two steps back process.

Energy wise, I go up and down.  I feel that slowing and steady I'm getting more steady energy wise.  I'm trying to get lots of sleep at night and I find myself not needing or taking long naps during the day.  I'm up and going most of the time, but some times I just feel so weak and tired.  Those times are few, but they stop me in my tracks.  Yesterday was one of those days.  I didn't want to do a thing.  So, I rested and then told myself it was time to get off the couch!  I go to the gym everyday (yay!) and I am walking for 60 minutes.  It feels great to get my exercise groove back!   I love love love it!  The gym is very close to me, which makes it easy.  There is no excuse for me not to go.  I use to find every excuse to just drive right by, but no longer.  I even have a fellow WLS buddy and some church friends that go there.  It's great to meet my WLS friend and walk and talk for an hour.  It makes it fly by and she had gone through exactly what I'm going through! I signed up for personal training sessions and I'm so excited.  I have always done best when I worked with a trainer, so I'm excited to get that going again.  I use to really want to be a trainer (in my skinny days), so I try to soak up all the information I can while I have them one-on-one.  I had a session this morning and it went great.  We had to take it easy due to my current lifting instructions, but I still felt so energized when I left the gym!  Whoo hooo!

While I feel I am doing the absolute best I could be doing right now, there have been many challenges along the way as well.  Christmas was one of them.  I wanted my surgery right before Christmas, so my recovery time would be while DH was off from teaching over the holidays.  As wonderful as that has been, being just 2 weeks post-op at Christmas time was hard.  I was still in some pain at the time, but I wanted to act like everything was A-OK when I was around both of our families.  Then, there were the big family meals.  I'm comfortable around my family, so fixing food and eating my little 2 ounce portion with my family was no problem.  We even had my seminarian friend Dominic over for Christmas dinner and it didn't bother me a bit to have my little cup of refried beans.

While that dinner went fine, I was worried about being the only one not eating at my in-laws for their big Christmas dinner.  This caused me way too much anxiety!  Seriously, ask Ann.  I think I emailed her a zillion times about what I should do, how to act, what to say, etc!  She was a great help!  Being fairly new to the family, I just wanted to blend in and you don't really blend in while eating from a tiny little cup and a baby spoon.  So, we just arrived a tad bit late and I avoided the whole situation.  DH was so kind to go along with the plan and it worked great.  He was still able to enjoy the meal with his family, but a few others had finished and I didn't have to be the only one not eating!  I also sat through a meal with my sister-in-laws and DH at a favorite restaurant of mine.  I just sipped on water and it went well.  While it was a little awkward, it was good to get an experience like that out of the way.  I had no desire to eat anything, but I hate feeling like the outsider.  It is a feeling that I have to get use to for the time being.  Not fun... but having my jeans fit better makes it all worth it!

I think that is about all the updates I have for now.  I meant to post this on Christmas, but it just did not happen.  So, better late then never.  Merry belated Christmas everyone and Happy New Year!!  Bring on 2011!!!