M.I.A, Dancing, Meet and Greets, Goals, To many Frogs on Lilypads, Doctors and zzZZZzzz's!

I know, I know that I have been bad. I am a bad girl who has not been writing updates on what's happening.... but I did post my measurements and photos on the weekend, so I got 50% of my job done on time! Anyway, better late than never I say! No more being M.I.A I promise :)

 

My only excuse is that I have been exhausted, literally exhausted. Over the last few weeks I have progressively been waking up more and more exhausted. Needless to say I have been caught sneaking out of the office sick room after a mid afternoon power nap on more than one occasion :s The problem is that I am actually so tired that it isn't really safe to be doing anything other than napping. I quickly lose any concentration that I had (hardly any), and progressively feel a bit more woozy and light headed as the day goes on. By lunch time I am a wreck and resort to the sneaky nap but it doesn't seem to help until late afternoon when I get some weird second wind - very annoying! I should clarify that I am getting a decent amount of sleep each night (8ish hours), so I know it isn't this. So with all the fainting, bruising, dizziness, and feeling sleepy all the time, I decided it was time to go back to Surgeon Jon to see what is going on with me. I went for a comprehensive blood analysis and results were actually great! I am a much healthier chicky than I was pre-op in June. See results below. 

Vitamin D = 128 (+43 from June)

Cholesterol = 3.7  (-1.1 from June)

Triglyceride = 0.9 (-0.3 from June)

HDL Cholesterol = 1.4 (+0.1 from June)

LDL Cholesterol = 1.9 (-1.1 from June)

Coronary Risk Ratio = 2.6 (-1.1 from June)

Iron = 17  (+6 from June)

Fasting Glucose = 3.7 (-1.2 from June)

 

So how do these great results explain why I feel so very tired and mentally challenged? They don't! Doctor Jon has kindly reminded me that anyone who loses 32kg in four and a half months is going to naturally be tired and very distracted. Additionally, the components of the muscles and fat cells around my body are in a state of sudden flux and this will cause bruising naturally. I was reminded that I am doing really well and that I have actually now lost 60% of my excess body fat which is pretty amazing if I do say so myself. The interesting thing is that typically patients are told to expect to lose and keep off 60% of their excess body fat, but I was originally told that I should be able to lose at least 80% (if not all). So quite frankly, I think this is a pretty big milestone for me! Hoorah!!!! Only another 40% to go then I am on maintenance :) Anyhow, after speaking to Jon and then with Carol it was agreed that I as I am still only consuming an approximate 700 calories per day but then burning off a minimum of 1000 - 2000 calories from exercise each day (not including the calories a body burns to keep itself going), that I am most likely under eating. I have been advised that I need to add another two snacks into my daily plan and it doesn't matter if I have them within 30 minutes of drinking. Any of you sleevers know that this is generally a big no no, but apparently as they are only snacks that it is ok to have them with small sips of coffee/water. I have to admit that over the last two days I have tried really hard to increase my calorie intake by approximately 300 calories and reduce my exercise slightly, and I do feel better. I am adding nuts to my morning coffee snack and have shifted my nutribullet smoothie from breakfast to an after dinner snack...this means I can fit in porridge for breakfast.  Anyway, I figure a rest week won't do massive harm even if it does reduce the rate of weight loss this week.....any thoughts or suggestions?

 

Last time I mentioned that my goal keeps changing as I keep thinking a lower weight would look lovely on me (yes it is like a new summer outfit!). So while I officially have 20.8kg to go to achieve my 67kg goal I would really like to lose 25.8kg. While I was at the surgeons clinic I was catching up with the counsellor and she has recommended that I try to avoid thinking of a numeric weight which I will be happy to live at. Instead she has recommended I think of a dress size which I would be happy to wear. Her concern is that I will become obsessed my a number and become relentless in trying to achieveing it. She did let it slip that this is based on my previous experiences as a "workaholic" and a "perfectionist" of sorts. Her question was what will I be able to do as a 62kg female that I wont be able to do as a 72kg female. This is a really hard one for me, as I know she has a good point.... I can become quite over-focused when I want something, but at the same time I really want to stay focused. I think I need to find a fun and creative way to track/measure my future losses, but I am pretty lost as to what I should do. Again... I am looking for ideas people :)

 

Ok! onwards and upwards to the fun stuff! DATING! Well let me be honest here... I do not have any crazy amount of dating experience... in fact, my experience is so minimal it is embarrassing, butttttt losing weight and getting some confidence seems to have turned the switch! These last few weeks I have been on quite a few dates and getting lots of attention from other guys while dancing, out or at work. Some of the attention is just more complements/flirting/banter than usual while other attention is pretty in your face and quite terrible actually.... So here is the thing... of all the dates I have been on, there is actually only one guy that I even like and he doesn't seem to fancy me as anything more than a friend (or else he is completely oblivious to my very fantastic flirting style)... all the others are being considered frogs on lilypads who are not actually going to turn into Prince Charming when I kiss them. Don't ask me how I know... I just do :P Anyway, I shall keep you informed of my dating expeditions as they unfold.

OMG! I can't believe I almost forgot to mention it, but I bought bikinis! Not only do I have one pair, but I went a bit crazy and got three :o ....Yes, Twentysix Bites blogger Theresa now has bikinis which don't look absolutely awful on me as long as I stay standing, don't sit down, don't move my floppy legs around too much, and move slowly. Yipeee!!! Don't ask me how I plan to swim and abide by the rules...perhaps these are more like my "indoor clothes" that no one else needs to see for a while....

 

Anyhow, I shall sign off shortly but I should tell you of some of the very exciting things that will be happening over the next week or so:

1. Lots and lots of Christmas parties!
2. I get to meet other bariatric patients who train with my fantastic Personal Trainer (Toby), as she is hosting an end of year function for us all - yep this will be my first chance to meet fellow sleevers!
3. I may be meeting up with a fellow sleeve blogger called Martin which is very exciting for me!
4. I will be hearing from an old friend who has been considering WLS and is meeting with a surgeon. I met with this lovely lady a few weeks ago to talk her through my experiences and I honestly wish her all the best in making whatever decision is best for her xxx
5. More dates hopefully ;)

That is all for now. I will leave you with a beautiful saying that a close friend of mine reminded me of after reading my last post when I was pretty down. 

 

"Those who mind don't matter.... Those who matter don't mind...."

 

I have actually stuck this saying on my work computer so I can always look at it when I am feeling a bit confused or down. So far it has come in handy in keeping my spirits up...I hope it helps make your day better too.

 

Happy Summer's Night, Theresa

Say Hey....

Hi everyone!

So the funny thing is I can see people are reading my blog from all around the world, which is an amazing feeling! Hello people in Australia, Germany, America, UAE, Mexico, Canada, Russia, Bahrain, France, New Zealand and the UK!

I would love nothing more than to hear from you, and see how you are going. Tell me your story! How many bites do you  If you are a fellow sleever, or are you contemplating having a bariatric procedure etc. I would love to hear your stories, concerns and questions.....and here is the scary thing.... I would love to hear what you think of my blog! Tell me please?

Leave a comment, a post, anything!

xx Theresa

30kg Down & I am Over the Moon....So Why Do I Still Feel Like a Fatty?

 Today, I am a woman of two minds...or maybe nine minds, I am not even sure anymore. I have so much to tell you in this post, so please do excuse me if I jump around or skim over a few things. I realise that you have better things to do than sitting on your phone, tablet, laptop or PC reading my many thoughts and experiences. Though saying that,  I totally see why you would love reading me blog ;)

 

Ok! So as you know I ran away from Perth and flew over to Melbourne last week. I had just under a week on the other side of Australia, visiting my friends, going to the Melbourne Cup, going to wine tasting festival in Geelong, shopping and drinking cocktails. It was a perfect week away and it started that way as I sat in my aeroplane seat prior to departure. Guess who fits in the chair with room to spare? Yep! I do! No longer do I have to place my jumper over my seatbelt so no one sees how tight the belt is around my belly. Now I have lots of extra room in seatbelt and the tray table does not rest on my thighs when I put it down to hold my cup. This may sound stupid, but can you imagine how excited you would feel if the airlines suddenly increased the size of seats on their flights? This is kind of how I felt, but alas no, it was all me!!!

 

While shopping in Melbourne I bought a little bit more than I was supposed to but in my defence it was mostly on sale (5 pairs of shoes, 3 dresses, 1 skirt, 2 handbags, fascinator, 2 flower headpieces, necklace, seaweed natural snacks, nori, salad oils, dukkahs, body cream and bath salts). The most exciting thing was that I was trying on size 14 dresses! Me! Yes! Size 14! Hilariously, my friend overheard me singing "I love you size 14, I love you size 14 so much, I love you", while I was twirling around in the change room area. It has been a very long time since I have work size 14 anything...this is the lightest I have been in almost ten years!

 

During my holiday, it did become more apparent that I may need to bring forward my six month blood tests and medical check-up with Dr Armstrong. I am not concerned about this as I am now 16 weeks post op, so I feel like the only significant change between now and in another two months will be on the scales. The main issues I am dealing with at the moment is that I have huge bruises all over my legs, but I can't recall ever hitting any furniture etc to cause them. Since speaking to a few pharmacists and checking online, I can see that this is likely a result of my iron levels being low. Luckily I  can supplement iron via a liquid that needs to taken multiple times a day, for a few weeks. I shall keep you posted on the progress of my legs! Of slightly more concern is that I fainted for the second time at Melbourne cup (first time was at an event about a month ago). Now before you start thinking that I drank too much alcohol and was intoxicated, this happened at the start of the day and I had not been drinking! All of a sudden, I feel woozy, my face goes white, my vision starts to blur significantly and I hear loud ringing in my ears. It is pretty terrible and I know I was lucky to have my friends with me when this happened. This episode lasts for about 20 minutes and then I slowly recover over the next 10 minutes. Again, research indicates that I am becoming hypogylsemic, which is very common after VSG surgery. As I have reduced the amount of food and sugar which I consume, my blood sugar level is dropping significantly at random times causing me to get faint. Unfortunately, there is nothing which I can consume to prevent this from happening, so I am going to have to ensure that I never miss a meal/snack and that I carry sugar cubes in my purse in case of emergencies. Let's see how I go with that ;)

 

So I have posted some pictures of my trip below for your amusement... before I start whinging.

 

 About To Go To Melbourne Cup! 

 

The Girls and I :)

 

Lauren and I Sipping Cocktails at Siglo Bar

 

Do I Really Need to Explain? ...Shopping!



Maryanne, Lauren and I at Toast to Coast Wine Festival

 

Yes! I Had a Kid's Serve of Ice-cream... Don't Judge Me ;)

 

Fast forward! I am back in Perth and have been catching up with more friends who haven't seen me in a while. It is actually the funniest thing to see people do a "double take" when they see me. I have been told that the photos I post on this blog don't really give a great indication of what I am looking like, but I suspect that is because I am in my gym clothes for the blog updates - Who knows! This also happened in Melbourne when my friend couldn't find where I was sitting while I waited to meet her. Although I had seen her the night before, she obviously was looking for a girl who was considerably bigger than I was. People not being able to recognise me...certainly a nice problem to have!

 

So as of today, I only have another 23.2kg to lose before I reach my goal weight of 67kg! Strangely, my desired goal is slowly dropping down....so I wouldn't mind losing another 26.2kg to get me down to 64kg. Don't you think 64kg has a nice ring to it? Let's be honest, I will be happy with another 10kg drop....but bring on 64kg!!! ;) The annoying thing is that for some reason people think it is totally acceptable to ask personal questions which would not be appropriate even at the best of times. Why is it considered ok to continually ask me "how my skin is going", "if my skin is sagging", or "if I think I will need to have surgery to remove excess skin".....seriously? Why do people think it is fine to ask me "what my heaviest weight and skinniest weight has been as an adult"...what the? Let's be clear, these people are not even my close friends, they are random colleagues at work or from other social groups which I am part of. These people don't even know that I have had a VSG, they have simply noticed that I have lost a significant amount of weight recently. Grrrrrr! These questions just constantly remind me that I am always going to be a "fatty" of some type. Even if I lose all my weight I am always going to have to deal with any saggy skin and the emotional damage which has been done from being overweight/obese all my life.  As much as my confidence has grown in this process, I realise my confidence is still pretty low. Not quite sure how I will figure this out, but if anyone has any good tips or advice.....let me know!

 

Anyway, lots more to whinge about but I think I need to calm down a bit before I keep writing.

 

Time for bed...goodnight everyone xx