Man, these last few days, I�ve been having the best hair days. Don�t know why, but I think it�s because of this new round brush I bought. It really helps straighten out the hair and make it go in the direction I want it to go. I have curly hair, but I straighten it out usually when I blow dry my hair. Otherwise, I just feel like I look slovenly. I just feel much more put together when my hair is straight. Crazy, I know. My sister, who has straight hair, perms her hair. You really can�t win. Whatever you have, you want something else. Isn�t that just life.
So, as of last Sunday, it�s been 6 months since my surgery. I thought I would do an update about what life is like out here. I don�t know my official 6 month weight loss, as I haven�t had a chance to get to a scale this week. I don�t keep a scale at home and it�s been a very busy week at work, so I haven�t been able to get away to the support group scale. But I kind of like not weighing very often. It helps me focus on this as a lifestyle change instead of making it a numbers game. As of my last weigh in, I had lost 93 pounds, so I�m very excited about that. I look and feel better than I have in a long time. And even though I am by all means still very overweight, I have a lot more confidence in my body and really feel that I look good. I don�t really know what my weight loss goal is and my health is already so much better at this weight than at 366 that to me, it�s all gravy now. I�ll be happy wherever I end up. I know I�m going to lose more weight, I�m just not worried about how much or how fast. I�m more concerned with making the necessary lifestyle changes. That�s what�s going to pay off in the long run.
Food�Well, I would say I can eat about a half cup at a sitting still, but it also depends on how dense the food is. If I eat any bread or starches, it�s less. But if it�s just protein, I can eat a little bit more. I eat a variety of foods. For breakfast, I often have yogurt, cottage cheese, some meat, or eggs. For lunch, I might have a small salad with meat and cheese, half a sandwich or just munch on some meat of some kind. Dinner varies to all the traditional dinner foods (smaller portions and minus most carbs). Sometimes, I cook up a hamburger patty for dinner (no bun). I love those rotisserie chickens and will buy one then take all the meat off the bird and eat that for a few days. I also like pork chops, spaghetti (heavy on the meat, light on the pasta), turkey, sometimes a piece of pizza. I generally eat 5 times a day�3 meals and 2 snacks. My snacks are usually some cheese and crackers or meat, beef jerky, sometimes popcorn, part of a protein bar, or some cottage cheese if I didn�t have that for breakfast. Occasionally, I�ll have a piece of fruit. I still have a sweet tooth which I indulge on occasion. I can�t eat much sugar, but I can still eat a little bit. Satisfies the sweet tooth and helps me so I don�t feel deprived.
Liquid�I still drink my water ice cold. I can tolerate it room temperature, but just prefer it cold. I drink a lot of Diet Cranberry Raspberry Snapple (not the tea), and also make Kool-aid with Splenda. I buy the unsweetened packets and mix it with a cup of Splenda. It tastes exactly like the real thing. I also drink Crystal Light. Basically, those are the only 4 things I drink. I was such a soda junkie before the surgery. It�s hard for me to believe I don�t drink it now. Amazing! Every so often, I get a craving for some Coke. And I�m talking about real Coke, not diet. I go ahead and buy a small bottle and drink about 4 sips of it. This satisfies the craving and I don�t need it again for several weeks. I figure that a few sips of Coke very few weeks is not going to harm me at all. And since it satisfies the craving, I�m not trying to satisfy it by filling up on a ton of other unhealthy stuff.
Schedule�Well, I start most days off with liquid. On work days, I drink 16 ounces while driving to work, on non-work days I drink 16 ounces soon after waking up. Once I get to work, I eat my breakfast. It�s perfect timing. By then, the liquid has moved out of my stomach and I�m ready for some food. About 1 hour or so after breakfast, I have my 2nd 16 ounces of fluid. Then about an hour after that, I have my lunch (I start work at 9, usually finish breakfast between 9:30 and 10). I wait 1 �2 hours after lunch and have my 3rd 16 ounces of fluid. Then if I need to, I�ll have a snack right before I leave work. I have dinner sometime after getting home, and finish the night off with my 4th 16 ounces of fluid before heading off to bed. Somedays, I keep this schedule well, and even manage to get in an extra 16 ounces of fluids. Some days, I have lots of meetings and my schedule gets all messed up and I miss out on one of my scheduled fluid breaks. But most of the time, it works out.
Supplements�Every morning, I take a multivitamin (2 Flinstone�s Chewable with Iron), a biotin complex, iron, and sublingual B-12. I try to take Calcium Citrate throughout the day, but I have to admit that this is still a habit I am working on.
Exercise�because of my gallbladder problems (severe pain and nausea) and then surgery and recovery, I haven�t gotten my exercise routine right where I want it. This is my last week of the sedentary lifestyle. I promised myself two weeks after returning from work to get my energy level back up and then it�s back to the gym. So next week, I�ll be back to the gym and keep you updated on that.
I guess that�s all for now.
