I never would have thought....

Ok the above is a bad pic and the chicken salad on the plate does not look very appetizing.  But, that's not the point of the picture.  That plate of remaining chicken salad and saltines shows what I could not finish from lunch.  This is impressive in that the plate was never full and started with only 3 ounces of chicken salad and 4 saltines.  

I never would have thought pre-surgery that not only would 3 ounces be a meal, but that I wouldn't finish it.  Before the surgery this meal would have been the snack I'd have while making my lunch.  Crazy isn't it?

In 50 years I never...

I'm 50 years old and have never forgotten to eat, in fact I am mostly guilty of eating too often.  So today lets just say I was surprised when I forgot to eat lunch.  I have mixed feelongs about it though, I'm kinda proud that I wasn't focused on food and a bit concerned I missed a meal.  Since I don't eat much I need to eat what I should.

Anyway, I needed to share, this is such a novel event for me, I was excited and wanted my friends to know.

Loving the soft diet

Above is a sample of the new fun things I'm allowed to eat.  Sushi baby!

I never thought I would be so happy to chew again but I am, it's nice to use my jaw again.  So to all of you that in the purée or clear liquid stage know that it will pass and you will be able to use your jaw soon.  Things are looking up.

Meet my Sleeve

After my recent stomach upset my wife decided to name my sleeve.  She has officially dubbed it "Vinny", Vinny the Sleeve.  Makes it sound like a mob hit man.  So if you hear me refer to Vinny in the future you'll know what I'm talking about, and most importantly that I'm not crazy.

(Thanks to Family Guy for the Vinny pic above.)

Listen to you Stomach

So I learned my lesson yesterday.  I was happy that my surgeon released me for soft foods two days ago.  I had some chili to start which worked well as it was mostly broth, no issues.  Then I got ambitious, and of course I paid the consequence.

I had a bit of chicken yesterday, nothing fancy and the amounts were in keeping with what I should eat.  But the chicken was too heavy, I learned that I must work my new Vinny (more on the name later) into such things more slowly, not to take things to fast.  I definitely paid the price, I had a stomach ache and heart burn all night.  It seems Vinny is very sensitive and doesn't like being pressured to do something he is not comfortable with.

Why do I tell you this, so you will learn from my mistake and remember to take things slowly, don't rush and let your new stomach guide where you should go.  As my nutritionist says, "listen to your stomach."

I know I shouldn't of, but I couldn't help myself...

Being only 5 days out from surgery I know it is too soon to weigh myself. But Saturday's are my weigh in days and I just had to. I couldn't believe my eyes, since I last weighed myself, the day of surgery, 5 days ago, I've lost 11 pounds. Holy Cow!!!

Sorry I need to confess and celebrate at the same time. 

Lesson Learned

Yesterday I felt like I could eat anything.  So today I figured I would make some tuna salad an purée it, eating only the allotted amount of two ounces.  How could I go wrong with this, I was following all the rules?

What I failed to consider is that tuna is much heavier than the puréed soups I've been eating.  Now I have this lump in my tiny little stomach.  I feel uncomfortable but not like I'm going to be sick.  I've learned my lesson, take it slow, don't rush.

(Note: The tuna above is not what I ate, just a generic pic I found of Tuna salad.)

Not Much of a Water Drinker

I've never been much of a water drinker, its no secret, I've even been proud of it.  However, since surgery I've enjoyed the taste of cold water.  It goes down well and tastes good.  Not feeling he same way about warm water but I'm thrilled about my new feelings for cold water.  Given how much we need to drink postop I'm so happy, one more thing to make life easier.

Oh, if you like cold water like me, look into one of the bottles above.  Its by Contingo and keeps the water cold for hours and hours, just toss in a couple ice cubes and you're good to go.

Protein, Protein, Protein

The biggest thing I've felt since surgery (3 whole days ago) is a lack energy.  Why?  Because I've consumed almost nothing to fuel my body...no protein.  I'm sure everyone's programs have stressed the importance of protein like mine has.  Please listen to them, they are right.  Drink protein shakes an seat hight protein foods, you will feel better.

The shake I'm holding is a Unjury Chocolate blended with milk which will give me 29 g of protein once I finish it, almost half of my daily allowance.  I'm not going to kid you, it will take me a while to finish one of these, but the benefit is well worth the persistence.  

Do yourself and me a favor, get your protein in.

Enough preaching, sorry.  :-)

Day 2 - Ready for Discharge

My new diet.  Off the water only and now can have some broth, jello and tea.  I was only able to finish the broth and take a little bit of the jello but I'm really happy about what I can eat.  Yesterday they tried me on some broth but I could only take a few spoonfuls, so I see this as real progress.

That are also getting ready to discharge me this afternoon.  Very exciting, but also very real, now I need to be good at home...wish me well.

Lunch

Water is my new friend.  Been having these one ounce glasses of water since this morning and so far so good.  I'm also able to sit up without pain and walk, I'm really happy with how the recovery is going as is the medical team, which is probably more important.

They are supposedly going to move me to clear liquids an jello tonight.  I'm excited but I don't want to rush things.  Let's hope it stays down.

Morning of Day 1

Wke up early due to a nurses visit but had the best night sleep.  Now I'm waiting to start walking around which is going to feel so good...tired of sitting in a bed.  All in all the doctors say the surgery went well and I'm recovering well.  They say my stomach is nice and small and that I should drop a lot of weight...we'll see.

Another quick pic my best friend so far...yeah, it's the button for my pain pump.  :-)

My Best Friend

Surgery complete and I'm sitting in my room watching so,e TV.  Waking up immediately after the procedure, getting oriented and the cotton mouth was the worst part.  Why am I not saying the pain was the worst part?  Because of my new best friend below; love self administered pain killers.   :-)

On my way to the hospital

I'm on my way to the hospital.  Above is a quick pre surgery shot via my iPhone.  Not very good, but it shows how far I have to go

Current Weight: 374 lbs

Weight Lost: 28 lbs

Smoothie Kit

Something they drill into your brain when preparing for surgery is that you need to get enough protein.  Given the restricted amount of food I can eat postop, protein shakes will be my new best friend.  The pic above is of the bullet blender and all the sample protein shakes I've been trying.  This is my protein kit, as I call it.  I'll be living on these so trying out through sample packs was a great idea and thanks to my wife for thinking of it.

Anyone getting ready for surgery or postop and looking for something new, get yourself sample packs, it's a great way to try out flavors and brands...not all unflavored drinks are the same.

Why am I doing this?

Michelangelo once said...

"Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it."

I've always seen it as the perfect conceptualization of weight loss. We are large things with something hidden inside, something beautiful, something that only needs to be uncovered. That is what this blog is about, uncovering the beautiful thing on the inside...what inside the stone.

 This blog will attempt to track my progress and life after surgery through pictures and words. All I ask is that you please be patient with me. I'm not a writer but a computer geek and photographer. Regardless, don't be shy to ask questions, I'll be happy to answer anything.

Why I chose Bariatric Sleeve surgery...

I had to come to accept it. I'm a 50 year-old man who has struggled with obesity his entire life. I've had periods of what I call thinness, but they have been nothing more than that, periods. The weight always comes back, and when it does it feels unstoppable, as if no matter what I do it will return. Its kind of like a war, one I'm destined to lose.

I know I'm not alone in having the these feelings; but they are strong, palpable and overwhelming nonetheless. I finally got brave enough to do something more dramatic, more permanent. Tomorrow I will have bariatric sleeve surgery where my stomach size is reduced to almost nothing. It is a all or nothing attempt to change my life for the better for the last and final time. Given my age, it was time for something more dramatic.

 Wish me luck.