ONE YEAR POST SURGERY!

It is difficult to believe May 26th marked the one year anniversary of my surgery. While I didn't get a chance to blog that day, here's my facebook status from May 26th:

Today is the one year anniversary of my gastric bypass surgery. I currently weigh 155, which is 123 lbs less than I did pre-surgery, I wear size 10 pants and medium tops rather than size 26 pants and 3X tops, and my BMI is now 27.5 rather than 49.2! I feel great!

In other news, my husband Ben and I had been waiting on an adoption of a domestic infant. We'd begun the process in the Fall of 2007, and became approved and officially began waiting in May 2009. We finally got the call we'd been waiting for on Easter Monday! We brought Nathaniel Mark home on May 4th, and we couldn't be happier.

Here's a family picture:

Needless to say, I have something new that gets all of my attention now! Forgive me if I stop blogging about my surgery, but things pertaining to post-surgery are pretty predictible and uneventful now. I go in Monday for my 1 year checkup, and Dr. Macik says we'll all have to go at least annually until death.... his or ours, LOL!

I still have several food items that I can not tolerate, or can only tolerate in very tiny portions. Those things are bread, rice, items with very high fat content (forget pizza, for instance!), and eating too much sugar in one sitting (though I can get away with more than I wish I could, and I know that because I test it out whenever someone makes a yummy cake or offers a delicious dessert!). I assume "dumping syndrome" will be a part of my life forever, and that is fine with me as it serves as an excellent negative reinforcement when I veer too far from the nutritious path. It can be pretty uncomfortable, as can getting something lodged in the small stomach opening because I didn't chew thoroughly enough. For me, dumping syndrome means tons of clear fluid building up in my stomach and esophagus (so much so that I have to go to the restroom to spit it out), extreme pressure in my pouch area, sometimes vomiting, and sometimes -- though it's rare for me-- diarrhea.

I love to walk now, and can easily challenge myself with faster speeds, more hills, and longer distances. I love to be able to get down on the floor and then up again like I did when I was in my mid-20s. This is especially fabulous when teaching toddlers at church and with Nathaniel. Swimming is still a love, but logistically it is difficult to fit in.

I had to show my drivers license at a pharmacy when buying sudafed a few weeks ago. The clerk looked at it, looked at me, said "hmmm", looked at the picture again and said, "this picture looks really different than you do." I had to explain that I'd lost 120 lbs, so it wasn't surprising that I no longer resembled the picture!! It's also pretty funny when meeting new people. They always seemed shocked when I explain that just a year ago, I weighed 120 pounds more than I do now!

So, that's a wrap. Thanks for following my blog and encouraging me in this most exciting and successful year!

Jen

"You're so skinny!"

I hear this all the time now, which is pretty freaky. Truth is, I hide my excess weight well, and learned a lot watching What Not to Wear!

So, at today's weight of 164 (BMI of 29.1), I definitely need to loose a minimum of 17 lbs more, which would put me safely below 150 and at a BMI of 26 which is considered "overweight". That is a mental thing suggested by my surgeon, based on his observations of his most successful patients.... that way, I'll be able to stay determined and committed never to get above 150 again.

Ideally, though, I'd like to lose another 28 lbs to get down to 136, which puts my BMI at 24, which is in the ideal range. My weight loss has slowed enough that I'm realizing this won't be as easy as the first 112 lbs. Trying to decide what I'm going to do to reign myself in... I have increased my exercise which is helping, and I need to figure out the best way for me to cut back on sweets but still be able to feel satisfied... I do feel hungry at meal times nowadays and have cravings for foods, which I didn't for the first 8 months or so.

In case you don't believe me that I am still in the "overweight" category, let me explain... I "hide" my extra weight in my thighs, and somehow still get to have a smaller waist when I still have weight to loose. Just how my body has always been... So, since I am 5'3", my current weight of 164 is a BMI 29 which is, in fact, considered "overweight".

I AM celebrating that I've finally gotten out of the "obese" range, though! PTL!

Happy Spring!

Me 11 months and 114 pounds later...

Ben 10 months and 133 pounds later...

click here to see my Facebook Album

SIZE 12 JEANS!

I am actually now wearing size 12 jeans! I'm not sure exactly how that happened, as I've only lost 2 pounds in the last month, but apparently my body has at least been shape shifting.

Clearly, since my weight loss has slowed, it's time to make some adjustments. I'm pretty sure that limiting the sweets I eat, walking 2 or 3 days a week and swimming 2 or 3 days a week would get me back on track. But I'm not feeling motivated to do those things. Hopefully with the time change this weekend and the onset of spring, I'll get a little spring in my step...

Little changes in my image...

click below to see the entire facebook album:

New glasses, new dress, updated hair...

Jen 9 mos post op

EIGHT months?!?!

I was pulling up my sagging jeans at lunch, and my girlfriend joyfully laughed at me. I hadn't even realized I was needing to pull them up... But they're 16s, so, they were falling down... So I was telling her that I'd lost 106 lbs so far, and I stopped to figure out how long ago my surgery was.... EIGHT months?!?! WOW!

A few STATS for you... I've lost 38.4% of my starting weight of 276. My starting BMI was 48.9 which was morbidly obese, and my current BMI of 30.1 is just a tad over the 29.9 that is considered overweight. In the first month post-op, I lost about 33 lbs, in the next month I lost about 15, and in the months since I've been losing about 8-10 pounds a month. At that rate, I would reach my goal in about another 5 months. Truth is, though, that I'm not controlling the weight loss, my body is. It is possible that I'll get to my personal goal and keep losing. It is also possible that the honeymoon post-op weight loss will end before I reach my goal, and if I decide I want to get to it, I'll have to make some additional adjustments in my diet and exercise routines to get down to where I want to be. Believe it or not, the surgeons can't even predict what each patients' body will do or how long the weight loss period will continue for each patient.

In many ways, it seems like it was just a few weeks ago since I had my surgery. In other ways, the new ways of life are so ingrained in my daily routine that I do them without thinking much about them anymore. I don't even WANT soda or sugar in my tea or coffee. I reach for the splenda without giving it a second thought. I order smaller portions as if that's what everyone does. (You know you don't though, right?) I instinctively aim for protein rich foods for meals and even when I order my Starbucks coffee... There's a reason I do lattes! That milk is full of protein! I even add skinny to my SB orders without thinking twice now. I don't think twice about stopping to chew up all of my daily chewable vitamins each morning.

It's incredible to think of the many, many ways my day to day life has changed since last April. I found a good deal and bought a new Nautica rain jacket today. It's a Petite Medium. WHAT?!? I even bought a swimsuit and underwear at Costco a week or so ago, and Costco didn't use to have ANYTHING in my size. My closet is less cluttered with clothing than it has been since elementary school, I try to regularly purge everything that's over one size too big since my size keeps getting smaller. I have applied to be selected for a mission trip in Cambodia next summer. I didn't have to stop and think about how horrible that many hours would be in the airplane's tiny seats.... because I'll fit in them no problem now! We don't have to request tables instead of booths at restaurants anymore, we're comfortable in either now. We can typically find something at any restaurant that we can order. We enjoy sharing a dish and then bringing home leftovers from our neighborhood Chinese restaurant. We even went out for mexican for the first time a few weeks ago. Movie Theater and church seats are comfortable again. That wedding ring that used to be so tight I'd need water and lotion to get it off each night is way too loose now. I enjoy getting dressed in the mornings, as it's fun to put on my clothes and feel pretty in them. I can get up and down off the floor during Waumba Land on Sundays like I'm in my twenties again, and even while holding a toddler!

Is everything easy breezy? Not entirely. I do still have to pay attention to drinking enough fluids each day. I also haven't been walking the way I intended to be. I do enjoy it, but it is easy to talk yourself out of it when it's dark and cold and rainy outside or you didn't bring the clothes to stop at they gym to use the treadmill. I will return to swimming when there is more daylight and it isn't too cold outside, but that just isn't something I'll be willing to do during the winter months. I'd be a wreck without stool softeners, I have to take them daily or I'd be in big ol' trouble. (Sorry if that was TMI for you!) I do sometimes wish I could take Aleve or Ibuprofen, but am often pleasantly surprised at how well Tylenol can help. I give in to sweet items more often than I should, though at least they are in much smaller portions than they once were. For my recent 38th birthday, I enjoyed 3 different birthday cakes 3 days in a row, but could only enjoy small portions of them. And I ate too much of one, and let me tell you that dumping syndrome is very real.

I still eat plenty of lowfat cheesesticks, yogurt, and reduced fat peanut butter. I most always have a glass of milk before bedtime. Somehow I haven't grown tired of those things, thank goodness. Oh, I still can't eat most bread. Today I did ok with a roll at O'Charley's; YUM. Oh, and recently I have been able to enjoy a little tea or water with my meals, which is a new improvement. (-:

So, that's the gist of things for me now, 8 months post-op! Even if I didn't loose another ounce, I'd be thrilled with my decision to have surgery. Knowing that I should certainly get to my minimum goal of 145 is wonderful. Seeing and believing in the possibility of actually getting back to a nice looking figure at 134 is amazing, especially at my current age of 38! Knowing, especially in the over 150 lb range I am currently in, that as I lose pounds those are pounds I will refuse to allow myself to ever again gain is very powerful.

I have a new found hope and excitement about my future and how God may be able to work through me in this much improved body of mine! I am so very grateful for the many blessings in my life!

Clothes Purging

It's crazy how many clothes I've had to get rid of. Last weekend I went through and pulled out everything size 16 and up... it's just too big to wear! Kept a few smaller X and XL items, but most of everything from pre-surgery has now been purged. Headed upstairs to get it all ready to transport to Goodwill and a friend who's recently had the same surgery I did and might be able to enjoy them. After my friend is too little for them, the nicer, designer things from Jones New York, Talbot's, etc are going to go to a great new Women's Consignment Store in Dunwoody, called Consigning Women Upscale Resale. I've found some great stuff there myself.

7.5 MOS POST SURGERY = 101 LBS LOST!

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FACEBOOK ALBUM

I feel great! I had a cold last week and had no taste for anything, so I guess I lost a little more than I had been for awhile.... I got on the scale today hoping it would be 100, and low and behold, I've lost 101 lbs! We're having a major snow day here in Atlanta, so I got Ben to shoot some photos to comemorate the day for me....

I'm wearing size 14 jeans today....

Seriously. Regular size 14, $12 Faded Glory Wal-mart jeans are comfortably being worn by yours truly! Woo hoo! I'm at 179 lbs now, which means I've lost 97 lbs thus far, about 7 months post surgery. I don't have enough trouble with eating sugary items, so I did get to enjoy some Christmas goodies. I ate far fewer than in years past, and was careful to still get my vitamins and protein in as well. I need to wean myself back off of that sugar, though. That's heading down the WRONG path, people!

For the new year, I am refusing to make any resolutions because, let's face it, resolutions are made to be forgotten by around Feburary 1st. I will say that my health and wellness plan is to try to do a better job watching my carb intake, and to do a better job getting my walking in. I can either go to the mall or the treadmill at the gym, but I just must make it more part of my routine. I've found making excuses comes all to easily for me on that subject, not the least of which is after working a 9 hour day and it's already dark, the last thing I feel like doing is going back out once I'm home. Well, so I guess I'd better work with that, and MAKE myself pack my walking pants, t-shirt, and gym shoes so I go STRAIGHT to the gym. Ben's new job might make that a little easier, actually, because he'll be getting home about an hour later than me anyway starting Tuesday. (-:

I live for Starbucks "treats". I still love my Skinny Vanilla Lattes with 3 splenda's when I can afford them in the mornings. Heaven in a cup. Now, in the evenings at home, just before bed, I drink a glass of 1% milk. That's to get 9 more grams of protein in, and to help me wind down before climbing into bed. Well, I have a new treat when I'm both able to afford it and I'm out and about after 9:30 or so.... Have you ever tried a Vanilla Steamer? Ohhh, YUM! It's like a warm milkshake-- steamed milk and some syrup for flavor. But I get to enjoy mine guilt-free.... I have them use sugar free vanilla syrup and nonfat milk, no whip. DELICIOUS! Warms you right up, and makes you all cozy and calm and ready for bed. We have a pretty tight budget these days, so this isn't something I get to do a lot.... but I will admit I have a GOLD Starbucks card with my name on it. I put a certain amount on it each two week pay for my Starbucks budget. And, since this is a frequent visitor program, I get my syrup for free, not to mention every 16th drink is FREE. If you love Starbucks, btw, I highly recommend you register that card you got as a Christmas gift or in your stocking.... just click here to get it registered and start earning your rewards!

I'm fighting off bronchitis, so I best get myself to bed. Happy New Year, one and all! How INSANE is it that it's 2011? Y2K, what's that?

The Greenwalds weigh 200 lbs less than we used to!

I haven't been blogging much, have I? Things are just trucking along with no big changes, really. My weight loss is so much slower and gradual than it was in the beginning months that it feels less exciting. Not less celebrated, just less interesting to share.

I am about 6.5 months post surgery and I have lost 95 pounds. Ben is about 5.5 months post surgery and he has lost 105 pounds. Did you catch that? The Greenwalds weigh 200 lbs less than we used to!

I bought some "normal" size 14 pants last weekend at the Atlanta Assistance League's "Attic Treasures" thrift store in Chamblee. That's a great place to get clothes for me right now. Our family budget remains tight while Ben still looks for work, and I'll only wear my clothes for about a month before they'll be too big for me. They often have nice brands of clothes, and it's generally really basic.... So last weekend or so I spent less than $20 for 2 pairs of pants and 2 turtle necks! My other thrifty find is that Wal-mart has $12 jeans. I don't care that they aren't well made and would probably wear out faster than some fancier brands.... um, I won't be wearing them until they wear out!

I've not been a saint this Christmas season. I like baking and eating sweets too much. But I do eat way, way less than I used to! A few a day feels like I've eaten everything in a bakery! Other than the treats I sneak in, I still don't eat much each day, but it feels like enough! Wondering what a typical day's intake is? Coffee for breakfast, lowfat yogurt and a graham cracker with peanut butter for lunch, a cheese stick for a late afternoon snack, a dinner of a meat and veggie, and a glass of milk before bed. On the weekends, I also eat low sugar oatmeal made with milk for breakfast and/or have a sugar free latte made with skim milk on the way to church. (My FAVORITE "treats" these days are Starbucks Skinny Vanilla Lattes and Sugar Free Nonfat Vanilla Steamers! YUM!)

Dawn took some more Milestone Pictures of us last Saturday...

click here to see the full facebook album

By the way, everyone assumes this is hard work. It still hasn't been for me. I suppose one's attitude, conviction that they made the absolute best choice, and commitment not to make the surgery a waste help in one's post surgery experience. I'm also grateful that I have not had any physical or healing difficulties which can be the case for some bariatric patients. Sure, I have certain things I no longer eat (no more soda-not even diet and bread makes me feel terribly ill), and sure, I eat way less. But I physically just don't desire them or more food. The weather here has not been conducive to walking, but luckily shopping trips to Wal-MArt, Target, and the mall provide plenty of exercise! Oh, and Ben got me to the gym to try their treadmill a week or so ago. It was fun to do that right next to him! Who knew I'd ever exercise with my husband? Say what?!?! I'll return to swimming when it is not so cold outside and when it doesn't get dark during my drive home. This is by far the "easiest diet" I've ever been on. If I listen to my body, and make good choices about what I am eating, I'm going to lose weight. And it's not often I have cravings I have to talk myself out of. That is unlike any diet I'd ever tried! And I'd tried a lot of them!

Am I happy with my decision to have surgery last May? 100% YES!!!!

Check out our adoption portfolio video!

Go to our YouTube Video

and here is our recently updated online profile

In current news, my awesome husband Ben reached 100 pounds lost this morning! He's 23 weeks post surgery. I've lost 92 and am 6 months out.

time for new underwear!

So, I went to my 15th college reunion last weekend. It was great to actually not be worried about how much weight I'd gained since college and what people might think. I'm currently still heavier than I was when I graduated, but on the other hand, I'm also 86 pounds lighter than I was 6 months ago! It was pretty neat, too, because there were several people who have been following me on here and through Facebook that were full of congratulations for me.

Speaking of Facebook, let me share a few recent status posts with you:

Sunday 5PM:

Jennifer Julyan Greenwald Enjoyed our visit to Davidson! Guess what else? I just stopped in at the Commerce Outlets on the way home for a couple of warmer tops and didn't even set foot in a plus size store!

Last Night, 12:30AM:

Jennifer Julyan Greenwald just placed three GREAT BIG, full trash bags out for clothing pick up tomorrow.... Ben and I are both donating clothes we're too small for now. Kept meaning to pack them to take them to Goodwill, but since these guys were willing to come get them, decided that sounded easier and gave me a much needed deadline! (-:

So, oh. You probably want to know what my title is about, huh? As anyone who has seen the before and after me realizes, I used to wear clothes that would literally fall off me at my current weight. I'm down from a 3X (Women's Size 26/28) to a regular Large top and normal size 16 pants. For awhile, in the interest of watching our limited budget and not wasting money, I was just making do with the underwear, bras, and PJs I already had. I mean, nobody but Ben sees that stuff, and he gets a good laugh and is happy I didn't buy more stuff, right? Well, it's finally a necessity. While at the Outlets, I went to the L'eggs Hanes Bali outlet where they measured my bra size. And since I have no shame, let me just tell you that (despite the fact that I'd been a measly 34B in college) I'd gotten up to a 42D with my weight gain --- btw, I considered that one of the pluses to being a plus size, to be honest!-- I am now a 38C. Geepers, no wonder it felt like my bras weren't doing anything anymore! And underwear that is too big is pretty goofy too. I was able to buy "normal" girl sizes for a change..... a lot less change, actually. (Plus size underwear is a rip off compared to good ol' Hanes and Bali!) And I also got a new pair of winter jammies.... Some I'd gotten at Target and loved recently had to be retired since the pants would fall down whenever I tried to walk around in them!

So, there you have it. A behind the clothes look at weight loss surgery. How's that for revealing? I crack myself up, can you tell? LOL!

In a regular size 16, Candy Corn Just Isn't What it Used to Be

So, I can officially shop for and buy clothes that FIT in a "regular" store now. I purchased a regular size 16 pair of pants at Target last night and I've been wearing size XL shirts for a few months already! This is a big, big deal!

Also, with Halloween this weekend, there have been treats around at work. I had longingly noticed candy corn at the store several times already this month, so I was THRILLED when my friend Pat put out some snack packets of candy corn to share! When I tried it on the way home, though, I found it wasn't the yummy treat I remembered. I guess my tastes have changed at least a little. I mean, I would devour that stuff in years past! This time, I ate about 4 or 5 of the pieces, and didn't want any more.

I'm not immune to the enticing lull of candy or sweets though, let me be clear. I had a tiny sliver of birthday cake and a few spoonfuls of banana pudding at our unit birthday celebration today.... And I had also grabbed a snack bag of plain M&Ms out of the treats at work and, well, I ate all of those. (-: That's a rare thing of course, as what would the point of returning to old habits be, but it's pretty neat that when I do that, I'm happy to just have a little and.... something new for me.... just WALK AWAY! If I didn't, there would be physical pain and punishment, mind you. But I'm psychologically and emotionally fine with the concept of just a little now! That small thing is actually a seriously huge thing, people!

75 LBS LOST PHOTOS!

Many thanks to our dear friends Dawn and Charles Spoelstra who did a 75 lbs lost each photo shoot for us on October 2nd!

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE ENTIRE FACEBOOK PHOTO ALBUM!

Not a size 14W yet.

My "smaller" pants are too big now. The Talbot's size 18W I got July 4th weekend are baggy, and the used-to-be stretchy comfy pants from pre-surgery look like they belong as part of a clown costume. SO, tonight I went to TJMaxx to see if I could find some bargain pants. Picked up several Talbots size 14W to try on, but, alas, I'm not there yet. I ended up with some 16W no-brands for just $17, so that's cool for now. And, at least, now I know that when these are baggy, 14W will be plentiful on the clearance rack.

It's a little known secret. If you have gained some weight and should really wear a size 14W, you aren't mentally ready to go to a plus size store, so you find regular size 16s that don't look flattering but at least aren't technically from a women's plus size store. That means that the high quality brands with women's sizes (Jones New York, Liz Claiborne, and Talbots) have all sorts of size 14W that look nicer on but never get purchased, so you can snatch them up as bargains at the Outlet stores and TJMaxx. (-:

My body is weird, btw. Always has been, actually. For a top, I can do a regular size XL, but I can't do regular sizes for my pants yet. This is the worst size for clothes shopping (as I remember well from about 2000) as I am not naturally stylish enough to get my top pieces from a regular store and then find coordinating bottom pieces from an entirely different women's plus store. I will say I love that the Talbots Outlet and the Jones New York Outlet combine their womens and regular sizes into one store with different sections, and carry some of the same lines in each department. That makes it a bit easier. Of course, when you are on a tight budget and losing a lot of weight, one doesn't get to shop at high end stores- even the outlets- as often as one might wish...

Somebody, once I am down to 133 lbs, please nominate me for the show "What Not to Wear" so I can get a free $5,000 wardrobe complete with experts telling me what looks awesome and what looks horrible!

Dear Diary,

Why have I been at a standstill number for about 2 weeks? I was really liking dropping 2-4 lbs a week, you know.

Why am I resisting swimming? And not being as good about getting my walks in?

Why do I test my little pouch with things like pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and an ice cream cone (the WHOLE thing!) from McDonalds?

Why don't I drink enough water?

Oh, wait. Would that all be because this isn't easy and the long term changes are starting to be less exciting and more of a burden? And because sometimes, my body is going to suddenly realize that I am starving it and it will start hoarding weight instead of shedding it? Would it be because it gets dark earlier so it's even more obvious that exercise takes lots of time outta my day?!?

70 LBS DOWN, 70 TO GO!

These are from a week ago, but I'd meant to include them here on my blog...

So many subtle things...

I hadn't blogged in awhile, so as I sit here eagerly anticipating the season opener that begin in about 40 minutes... decked out in my Bulldog Game Day Spirit wear, I thought, hey, I've probably got some catching up to do!

Changes abound, and they've been subtle, not in our faces type of changes.

First, I'm registered to do my first 5K walk in one month. My walking buddy Elizabeth and I decided to see how we'd do with a 3.5 mile walk (just a tad over the 5K distance) Thursday. We followed a similar route to our upcoming 5K. (It's local in our neighborhood to raise money to repair our Peachtree Charter Middle School's track.). My legs could tell it was a tad farther than our typical walks, but it was NO PROBLEM! Hooray!

Wednesday, I set out to have a good swim, but didn't really have a goal in mind. I decided to begin with a 200 Free, then did a 100 breast stroke, then a 100 back stroke. Then did 100s free, breast, and back. Then did the first set again, but threw in an extra 50 . Then felt like I wasn't done, so, I did another 200 free. Count all that up, and I swam 62 laps! Go little Jen! (-;



My girlie kitty Lucy says hi, btw. She just climbed up on my lap to help me blog. She's the daintiest, sweetest, softest girl kitty in all the land and I adore her.

I've lost 68 pounds, and am feeling really excited about almost being under 200 lbs for the first time since about 2002. I truly hope and pray that I'll keep the mindset and willpower to never get over 200 ever again.... and, honestly, my REAL goal is to keep about 135 as my "guardrail" weight once I've leveled out in about another year from now.... Andy Stanley taught a great "Guardrails" series last April and May. A guardrail is a warning or preventive that keeps you from even getting close to the danger or undesired behavior.... you know, nip it in the bud before it has a chance to grab hold and take over your life! (-:

I had a really rough week in mid-August. (BTW- SKIP TO THE NEXT PARAGRAPH IF YOU DON'T WANT DIGESTION ISSUE DETAILS!) Suddenly, in addition to a slight cold, I was feeling exhausted and slept an entire Sunday away, then stayed in bed for the entire night, and then slept a lot more on Monday. Eventually, with Ben's help using a list of causes for Fatigue he found on WebMD, I figured out it was probably a Urinary Tract Infection. Didn't have the typical symptoms, just lots of back pain and extreme fatigue. Turned out I was correct, and the antibiotics I got on Tuesday didn't really help until about Friday. Saturday was a great day, but then, I felt all sorts of woozy and wobbly on Sunday. I don't know for sure, but I believe the UTI was because I'm not doing well enough getting my suggested 64 oz of fluid each day, and since I'd been having back pain for about a month leading up to that, I'm thinking it wasn't a new infection. And then Sunday, after a week of being to tired to bother eating, not being hungry because of the surgery in the first place, and then also being antibiotics that cause a loss of appetite, I simply hadn't gotten in enough nutrition. Coinciding during about the same time frame, I also had a really long period of constipation-- 9 days to be exact, even with taking stool softeners. Dulcolax eventually helped, and since then I've started to be mindful of Miralax in juice every few days, and my water intake, so there has been MUCH improvement in that area.

A few weeks ago, during Ben's 6 week check up, he got some clarification on our eating limitations. Technically, it's a small list, but it goes with the generalized "as tolerated", which simply means there are no guarantees so try new stuff at your own risk! We will never again be permitted to take Ibuprofen or other anti-inflammatories (too hard on our little pouches and can cause bleeding) or carbonated beverages (air bubbles would probably not be comfortable, and they could stretch our pouch). For now, alcoholic beverages are also off limits (reasons for that: too hard on our pouches AND since we've got tiny stomachs and a bypass of the first part of the intestines, the absorption rate is dangerously fast!).

There is this phenomenon after surgery called dumping syndrome . Every patent's body is different, but we'll all tell you that we've experienced it, and it is like no other experience to "encourage" you toward proper eating choices! Personally, for me, it feels like horrible pressure just under my heart (I THINK that's where my pouch must be?!?!), can cause sweating and nausea, and makes me feel a bit disoriented. I experience "early dumping syndrome" so I'm usually mid-meal when it hits... This pressure is because my body is sending TONS of water to my pouch and intestines, trying to flush out whatever offensive item I've just put there. Your instinct would be to drink water, but that is THE worse thing you could do. My body typically causes me to bring it back up, though it's not like throwing up when you're sick, it's more like bringing up that extra fluid and whatever item got stuck or wasn't tolerated. So, if mid-meal you see me suddenly get up.... don't worry, I'll feel fine whenever I come back. (-: My biggest offender has been bread and even a toasted bagel... oh, and spaghetti that just didn't get down properly. Ben's biggest offender was a "shot" of pecan pie he tried at 52 seasons. Stupid head... we looked all cute and I wanted to get a picture of us and was too busy feeling sick to stop for the picture....

Also, we try to think of it as a "protein first" diet. The good news is, contrary to what you'd think, we really don't have lots of hunger. Personally, whenever my body feels hungry, it's because it's truly been way too long since I ate! We really don't (and can't) consume much in a day, so it's important that what we do eat is getting our nutritional needs met. First and foremost is protein. Second is enough fluid. Dr. Macik, our surgeon, recommends 4 small meals daily, with no snacking. Of course one of my 4 meals usually looks more like snacking, but the idea is to avoid grazing all day long which sets you up for bad habits later and sets you up for not paying attention to what you are eating and what nutritional value it's giving you.

oh, oh.... GO DAWGS! (they just scored their 2nd touch down... I'm multi-tasking!)

Right now, a little over 3 months after surgery, a typical day's food intake looks like this: A Grande Skinny Vanilla Latte for breakfast (the skim milk has protein); yogurt with some high protein/high fiber Kashi cereal sprinkled on top, and a lowfat cheese stick for lunch; some soy chips in late afternoon; and a small bowl of chili for dinner.

I'm not really meeting my exercise goals, though it is definitely part of my routine and I'm enjoying it when I do it. I always get at least four days in (expect during that week I was so sick), and my 6 days a week goal that I am aiming for looks like this: Sunday 40 min walk, Monday 1 hr walk, Tues 45 min swim, Wed 45 min swim, Thurs 1 hr walk, and Saturday 45 min swim. To my own surprise, those length workouts aren't so tough for me. They're totally within my comfortable ability. (No doubt in addition to "getting in shape", the more weight I lose, the easier exercise becomes!) I don't feel a need for longer work outs, just trying my push to go faster during those workouts.

I'm truly happy that I decided to have the surgery, and that it was covered by my insurance so that both Ben and I could benefit from the surgery, experience it together, and work out our budget to handle our share of the cost. It's been fun to have to put away clothing that literally falls off of me, and I've been trying to get replacement clothes at end of season clearance sales and such. I feel great, this is way easier than ANY diet I've ever been on, and it's getting GREAT results!

Our dear and talented friends, Charles and Dawn, will be back in town in a few weeks, and promise to take some photos of us. It's time to update our adoption portfolio and I can't wait to post a few on here!

I'm going to walk a 5K on October 2!

I love Saturdays!

Today I woke up, got Starbucks on the way to OT, worked 3.5 hrs OT, met my dear friend Suzanne (from my prior office I hadn't seen in months) for lunch at yummy Jason's Deli and visited for hours, went to Petsmart and Wal-Mart, swam 42 laps, and wrapped up the afternoon with a $2 Cold Starbucks -- hooray treat receipts --- Now it's time to get ready to go out to eat with the family to celebrate my sister's birthday!

Am I addicted to Starbucks? Especially Skinny Vanilla Lattes with Splenda? Maybe. Does the fact that I "earned" a gold card with my name on it mean anything? (-;

Oh, and guess what?!?! Today I wore the outfit I wore on my first date with Ben (6 years and 60 lbs ago)! And it looked CUTE! (-:

I am so, so blessed, y'all!