Coping with the dreaded "P" word

So, I haven't written in a while, and you're probably wondering...how much has she lost?

Well,

here it is...

wait for it...

drum roll please...

in the month of February, I've lost...

...


...


...


2.4 POUNDS!!!

(can you sense my sarcasm?)

Oh yes, that's right...I've been dealing with the dreaded 6 month

P-L-A-T-E-A-U!!!!

Okay, enough with the dramatics. :) This month, my weight loss has really slowed down. After adding up the totals I've lost over the past 6 months, here's where things lie:

August 12-31: 17.8 lbs.
September: 16 lbs.
October: 14.8
November: 13.2
December: 10.4
January: 8.2
February: 2.6

So, on this past Monday, I met with Dr. Sudan for my 6th month visit. Before my visit, here were my notes in my journal:

Is this typical?

I've noticed I need to be:
-focusing more on protein being the main part of my meal
-I've worked on being better with no grazing in between meals
-replace sweets with fruit
-exercise needs to be consistent
-chart my eating in 'lose it', to look for patterns and discourage grazing

So, I talked with Dr. Sudan about all of these things. He said that yes, it is typical for people to hit a plateau at the 6 month point. In November, at the 3 month mark, I'd lost about 35% of my excess weight. At this visit, I've lost 55% of my excess weight. They say at a year, typically people lose 70% of their excess weight, so I'm right on track with that. (but of course, I'd like to be able to lose more than the 70% if I can) At my November appt. I was at 44% body fat, and now I'm at 36% body fat, which is also very good. He said that I may not be noticing the weight coming down on the scale, but if my body fat is going down, that's the most important thing.

Why do I put so much importance on the numbers on the scale? I've heard through weight watchers, nutri-system, etc...all of the many programs that I've done, that the pounds are only one way to measure weight loss success. There is also- measurements, clothes fitting better, more energy, body fat percentage, gaining muscle, how you feel about yourself, exercise being easier, etc. that are important in a weight loss journey. Yet, I've found myself so worried that I haven't lost a half a pound a day like I've done the past few months, and I'm beating myself up over it.

Part of this 'self-monitoring' I've been doing is good. The notes I wrote before my appt. with Dr. Sudan are true. I've noticed that I've been eating more and more what I call, "combination meals". Things that have a high amount of protein, but also have carbs in them as well. Chimichangas, pasta dishes, sandwiches, etc. have protein as the base, but also have the tortillas, pasta, and bread as well, and then I can't eat the protein first, which would fill me up. The other night I made some pork roast and mixed vegetables. I ate one piece of the pork roast, and felt full. I really don't ever feel full with the other dishes I mentioned, and I just stop eating when I feel I've eaten a small portion. Eating that pork/vegetable meal reminded me that those meals are what I should be eating more of, and not these combination meals. However, before the surgery, my habits for 30+ years have been to keep my food seperate, but to eat a bite of meat, a bite of carb, and then a bite of veggies. Maybe I'm being too hard on myself to think that in 6 months I can change a behavior that I've currently been used to for 30 years.

They say that tastes can change after surgery, and I've found that to be true. Before surgery, I used to crave salty things--chips, pretzels, fries, pizza, etc. Now, for the first time ever, I crave sweets. Yup--peanut butter M&Ms, Reese's, now and laters, and ice cream--all sweets that I've like before, but didn't really need a bunch of. Of course, I'm not eating a lot of those foods--maybe 10 M&Ms, versus a handfull, 2-3 Now and laters instead of a whole pack, etc. but I know that overall they are still pure sugar and not "needed" in my diet. So, I'm going to try to replace those sweets with fruit more often. Now is not really the season for fruit, but I've gotten some strawberries, and my new favorite-pears. That has definitely helped curve some of those cravings, and of course even though they have more calories, they're giving me vitamins and nutrients as well.

For Lent, one of the things I wanted to work on was committing to 4 days of exercise a week. The couch to 5K program has still been going well, but for the first week of my track out, we didn't do hardly any of the routine. Things kept "getting in the way" and I didn't make it a priority. Since then, I've committeed myself back to doing it routinely, and I'm proud to say that even though Chris can't exercise right now due to his septoplasty and bi-terbinate reduction surgery, I still went on my own yesterday, and even started the next 'week's schedule without him. I ran for 16 minutes total!!! After I came back in the house, I shouted, "I am awesome!" and he was so proud of me. I'm going to take Spencer for a walk today, and continue with the program, even though Chris can't go. Being tracked out has made things easier, but I've realized that when I go back, if I can't go on the day I'm "supposed" to go, then I just go the next day. I need to be more flexible with the schedule, to just make sure that I do 4 days in the week and no less.

So, with charting my food, watching the sweets, eating protein first, and exercising, I'm slowly starting to see the scale move a little in the right direction. After my post surgery group appt. on Tuesday, I wrote these notes as a reminder:

-compare yourself to yourself--this means I can't compare myself and my weight loss to other people who have had the surgery, since everyone is so different.
-if I'm seeing a plateau, which can be typical at 6 months, I probably need to change some behaviors to get things on the right track.
-don't weigh every day--it's important to weigh a few times a week to make sure I'm on track, but weighing daily is probably going to make me crazy. This one is really hard, since I've written down my weight every day for the past 3 years, but I'm going to try to go to every other day.
-once a day make eating the main focus--sit at a table, and really focus on chewing slowly, and not get distracted by the TV, computer, etc.
-don't skip meals--if I'm tempted to graze two hours after I've last eaten, wait an hour instead and have another small meal instead.

So...armed with all of these tools I'm going to:
1) stay positive
2) realize that this is typical, but I can do things to change it
3) committ to eating protein first, eating more fruit, and exercising regularly
4) stop "worrying" about everything and focus more on making the positive changes

Wish me luck... :)

Still going strong...

Chris is at the driving range, and when he gets back, we will be going for a jog/walk workout--in Week 3 of the Couch to 5k program. This is the longest I've ever been consistent with a program like this, and I am so excited that it's working! I went to the gym pretty regularly with Kelly when we were doing Weight Watchers, but since then, nothing has been this consistent. It's only 3 weeks, but that can seem like a lifetime when you've tried exercise routines and it never made it past the first day. :)

I am down 82 pounds, and staying pretty consistent with losing 2 pounds a week. This is satisfying, and I am perfectly okay with it. People may be wondering how much/what types of food I am able to eat now, so I thought I'd give a chronicle of what I ate yesterday for you inquiring minds...

Saturday:
Breakfast-8:15 Usually every morning I drink my one cup of coffee (regular caff.) before I eat my breakfast. Since I make it at home and take it to school, obviously I don't want it to get cold. This means that sometimes I am able to eat my breakfast during morning work, when the kids are arriving, and once in a while, I have to wait until my planning which is at 8:45, so basically that eliminates a morning snack. We did have school yesterday, and I had one cup of Kix cereal with 1 cup of milk. The kids thought it was a little funny that I was eating my cereal that way, but I told them that since I have to take longer to eat cereal, I don't want it to get soggy--so instead, I chew some Kix and wash it down with the milk. :) The one cup of milk has about 9 grams of protein, and the cereal has 2 grams, so this is a good breakfast protein-wise.

Snack- at about 10:45, I had a package of 100 calorie crackers with peanut butter-about 3 grams of protein

Lunch- At 1:30, when Chris got home from the job fair, we got a medium pepperoni pizza from Bella Italia. I had almost one slice. Since the NY style pizza slices are a little bigger, and have a bunch of crust, I usually eat the main part and give the rest of the crust to Spencer. This piece probably had about 11 grams of protein.

Snack- Around 4:30, I had about a handful of Chex mix with M&Ms in it, and some wheat thins. This was something I slowly munched on while I read a book, and Chris was watching the State game. Not really a lot of protein in this snack, but it was goooooood. :)

Dinner- At 8:30, I made a half of a grilled cheese sandwich on whole wheat bread, had a serving of chips, and one mini chocolate chip cookie. Later on, I had two more of those mini cookies- about 45 calories each, with a 1/2 cup milk.

So, my total calories for the day was about 1,000, and my protein was probably about 50 grams.

I've been good about not grazing in between these little meals since the holidays, and I believe I've started feeling little twinges of hunger. They said this would happen at about the 6 month mark, which will be in about 3 weeks. Since hunger can be so psychological, I can't tell if it is really happening, or if I'm imagining it. I haven't been keeping track of my food in the Lost It program religiously, but I do try to keep track of my protein intake during the day. I figure that if I start slowing the weight loss again, get to a plateau, or find myself grazing, I'll track it to see how much I'm consuming.

I have noticed a mild amount of hair loss, which can occur 2-4 months post surgery. The rapid weight loss can cause this, and the only real remedy is to make sure you're eating enough protein. What I've noticed is more hair on my shirts, in my brush, and sometimes if I just run my fingers through my hair, a couple of strands come out. Luckily I don't think it's noticeable, and they say it should grow back. I have such thin hair anyway, so I hope this is as bad as it will get.

Throughout this past week, I've had some periods of feeling nauseated, and have thrown up a few times. This is pretty uncharacteristic for me post-surgery, because it is a feeling I have during the day, and not right after I've eaten. A few months ago when I'd feel sick, it was right after a meal, and either because I ate too fast, or too much, when I was still learning the correct portion size for me. Lately, it's been something I will feel for a few hours, and if I try to eat something little, it will come back up. I took a pregnancy test a week ago, and it was negative, but of course my friends at school are thinking that's what it is. :) We'll see...but I will just say that it's highly unlikely.

Well, Chris is home now, so we're off. He said it's warmed up a bit, so it should be nice out. When we've gone at night, I've gotten all bundled up to go out, so it will be nice to go during the day. Three days until track out--can't wait! We're going to the beach this next weekend for Erica's 30th birthday, and then I leave for a short visit to West Palm Beach, FL to see my parents. I bought a cute pair of short shorts at Old Navy, which I can't wait to wear. I'll post some pictures of my cute new outfits soon. :)

Lifestyle Change

I've been hearing this phrase for the past 15 years, and I was always striving to make that a reality. I can finally say that this surgery has completely changed my lifestyle. Before the surgery, I didn't know what my life would be like afterwards--would I be able to shift the focus off food, and onto other important things in my life? Even in the first few weeks post surgery, when I was so obsessed with food, I didn't know if I could do it. I am so glad to say now that I have successfully changed my lifestyle. Since I know more what I can and can't eat and the portion sizes that are right for me, I feel I have jumped a huge hurdle in the learning curve that Patrick, my nutritionist at Duke, told me would take a while to develop after surgery. I have accepted that exercise needs to be an important part of my new "lifestyle", and now by doing the couch to 5k program, I've made that a reality. Since I've been able to get those things into place, I've found other things in my life are able to shine through. I've been wanting to go back to Church regularly for a while, and since the beginning of the year, I've been attending mass on a weekly basis. Lately so many things have been clicking into place, and I attribute that to the shift I've made on my priorities.

I am down 80.2 pounds now--and in the 170s!!! I lost about 8 pounds in January overall. I checked my measurements yesterday, and I've lost 15 inches in my waist! I have two appointments at Duke over my track out, where I'll have my 6 month visit with my surgeon and the psychologist. It blows my mind---6 months from the surgery, and I was able to lose 80 pounds--versus the year and a half it took me to lose 50 when I did Weight Watchers. Things definitely haven't been easy, and I've had to make many adjustments, but I feel like a lot of that is behind me now, and I can focus on losing more weight and seeing what the next 35 plus years of my life are going to be like. I spent the first half of my life struggling with my weight, and now in the next half I will be healthier and wiser.

Do I regret any of the choices I made in my 32 years up until now? Absolutely not. I have a wonderful life, and I didn't approach this surgery thinking it would make my life infinitely better. What the surgery has done, is given me the tools to live a healthier life, and make me able to have children. What a success!!

Thank you for being here with me on my journey. I am by no means finished, but as far as lifestyle changes go--I've finally made it a reality!!!