Officially a third of the way there!

So in February, at my highest weight, as we all can look back and see I was at a staggering 296 pounds. Well yesterday I reached 239 pounds!!!! When I saw that magical number flash across the scale, I could see fireworks and hear cheers in my head like fans going wild during a Cowboys game. Proudly I can say that I have lost 57 pounds and am one third of the way to my goal of 140 pounds!! Much to my surprise, I also can fit into a size 18 making me the same size I was my senior year of high school. Albeit nowhere near ideal, I am so excited to say "I can wear what I wore senior year." It is great to have successfully met TWO of my smaller goals, and by setting (and meeting) these goals, it really helps rally me forward and cheer me on towards success. I really am in complete and utter shock. And although sometimes I still see the bigger version of me when I look at myself in the mirror, I have a wonderful support system who assures me they can see quite astounding changes.

Moving on, I have done two extremely out of the box things for myself, things I thought I would never do. The first was last Wednesday my husband and I went to Hurricane Harbor, and although I got winded quite a few times, and had to beg a lifeguard for their water bottle, we ended up having an absolute blast. It was really great to be able to wear an XL swim suit (!!!!!) and to not feel too out of place. 

And then today, I went to the gym for the first time since surgery. Another surprise to me, my gym clothes are loose!! I haven't even had the chance to wear them other than trying them one when I bought them in June. But it feels good to have not so skin tight gym clothes, and to be able to do a 25 minute mile. That's a huge accomplishment for me! I was able to do about 35 minutes on the treadmill at a 3.0 incline with speeds between 2.5 and 3.2. I feel like this was a huge success! The old me would've been on the treadmill 15 minutes at maybe 2.2 and then begging to get off that speed demon. I won't lie though, I did break out quite the sweat.

Until next time, keep it classy bloggers
~Olivia

Officially 6 Weeks Post Op!!

As of yesterday, I am officially 6 weeks post op! Now my food horizons have reached the sky, and so far I have tolerated everything I have tried. Yay for what seems to be an iron pouch of steel! (knock on wood). I will admit, however, I have not been very adventurous with foods sticking mostly to extremely moist chicken breasts, mini whole wheat crackers, low fat cheese, and various low sodium & low fat deli meats. And, of course, the occasional egg and sugar-free pudding. I have ventured to 1% milk which was a success and hopefully I will be able to wean myself up to 2% in the near future.

I will be the first to admit, however, I do have a major issue getting in my twice daily shakes. They are just awful. I can't stand the sweet chalkiness any longer. I am going to try mixing in unflavored heat stable protein into foods, crystal light, and pudding and seeing that helps it go over a little better.

However, as of today I am down 26 lbs since surgery and 56lbs since I started my first appointment with Dr. Patel in late February. I can wear an 18 somewhat comfortably but find all my sizes larger than a 20 to fall off within 2 or 3 steps of walking. haha. I've also lost a total of 28 inches. Woohoo!! :D I am almost back down to the size I was senior year, and I have lost a third of the overall weight I was aiming to lose!

Last week I did hit a plateau and I started to panic but I have lost a total of 3 lbs over the last 2 days, so I would say the plateau has been defeated with triumph and hopefully the weight continues to shed off!

Picture Updates!

3 Weeks Post Op

4 Weeks Post Op

5 Weeks Post Op

Comparison Shots

Measurement Madness

So today I am officially 2 weeks and 1 day post op, and I can sincerely say that so far the roux en y was the best decision I have ever made. We did have a panic earlier this week where my left calf had swollen to be 2 inches bigger than my right calf. My dad rushed me to the ER where they checked everything out and found nothing. So all in all, recovery has gone pretty smoothly. I have my appointment with the nutritionist tomorrow so I can start the next phase of my diet this upcoming Monday. And boy, can Monday not come soon enough. I have been on a full liquids diet for over 2 weeks now!! I am doing well though, all things considered. I can eat about 4 ounces of protein shake or 4 ounces of soup at one time. I actually had well blended broccoli and cheese soup last night and that really hit the spot... for once!

At this point they would like us to walk a grand total of 1 hour per week. I have been averaging walking 3 or more hours every single day. I think I am doing way better than anyone, including myself, ever expected!

Anyways, down to stats and pictures.

Weight: 257! (I drop between 1 and 2 pounds per day here lately!)
Upper Arms: 16
Neck: 14
Bust: 40
Waist: 45
Hips: 57.5
Upper Thigh: 32
Calf: 18

In two weeks I've lost 14 inches overall!! And since I started my journey in February I have lost a grand total of 24 inches!

SIZES
Pants: 20 (and even one pair of 18s!!!)
Shirts: XL
Jackets: It's too hot to even attempt!
Shoes: 9
Bra: 40DD
Dresses: 1XL

To Shake or Not to Shake...Tips and tricks

Some helpful things I've learned...

1. The BEST protein shakes, hands down,  are GNC amplify 60 mixed with skim milk. Delicious!!! No chalkiness or awkward after taste!

2. Walking relieves the pain! So does having someone rub your back. During surgery they pump you full of gas and postop you'll have loads of gas pockets. Having someone rub them up helps you push them out!

3. It's best to drink only 3 to 4 ounces at a time, if even that much! If the first few days you can't quite get all your water and shakes in don't panic. You'll get there!!

4. Your taste buds WILL change. Suddenly Ozarka water tastes sweet and the usually awesome store brand spring water tastes like it has been filtered at the local dump. Everything changes!

5. Be ready for some loud bowels and odd bowel movements.  I thought I was dying. Turns out this is a normal course for par for up to 3 weeks post op.

6. During the full liquids phase it's okay to drink water at any time. No worrying about it being 30 minutes before or after your meal!

I did it!!

On Monday, June 10 at approximately 12pm I went under the knife! I remember being wheeled into the OR room, a swarm of people around me, and the next thing I knew I was screaming I couldn't breathe because of the oxygen mask secured to my face. And then everything was a blur until I saw my mom and my husband. I had come through surgery with flying colors. It took about two and a half hours for them to complete my hiatal hernia repair, remove my gallbladder,  and do my roux en y bypass. Which all things considered isn't too shabby! For a day and a half I was flying high in the la la land of pain killers. I was thanking everyone and telling complete strangers how great they were. Then they took away the meds and the gas pains hit. I was miserable. I didn't want to do anything or go anywhere. I was fine attempting to sleep in the always awkwardly angled hospital bed. But alas, no rest for the weary. Every 4 hours I had a breathing treatment and I was steadily being pumped with antibiotics for my elevated white blood cell count. I was finally released at 3pm on Wednesday afternoon.  And I won't lie that first night and following day home were rough. I was cursing the day I decided to have surgery. But then, magically, after some awesome sleep, encouragement, and much walking I felt 100 times better. In fact, on Friday I spent over 4 hours on my feet and walking around without feeling any pain. And once again the clouds parted and I could see the sun again.

I have yet to really feel hungry. In fact I have to be reminded to drink my 12 ounces of protein shakes and 64 ounces of water each day. But, even though I'm not truly hungry, I can't wait to have some real food again. July 1st cant come soon enough! Maybe I'll get to have some modified Fourth of July barbeque.

I would like to take a moment to say that my awesome support team consisting of my amazing husband, parents, family, and friends has made ALL the difference. During moments of discouragement and darkness they have been the glue holding me together. I wouldn't of been able to do this without all of them cheering me on.

Pre Op Measurements

These were taken the Saturday (6/8/13) prior to my surgery!

Weight: 266
Upper Arm: 17"
Lower Arm: 15"
Bust: 45.5"/40"
Waist: 47"
Hips: 59"
Upper Thigh: 34.5"
Calf: 18.5"

I started my preop diet at 283lbs, so in about 10 days I lost 17 pounds! I started my journey at 293 making it a total preop loss of 27 pounds!! This was beyond my wildest dreams and much more than I ever expected! I feel like this is a great precursor of things to come!