Post-Op Week 32 Progress Report

This was a great week on the weight loss front.  Did not see the size of this loss coming, that’s for sure!

But I’ll take it.

I have already lost more this month than I did the entire month of January, and for that, I am grateful.  I don’t know that I could have had another month of frustrating dates with the scale like last month–it didn’t do great things for my psyche.  I did, however, learn that inordinate patience is requisite during this long, strange trip I’m on.

I walked a lot more this week (thanks to this silly walking game I have for the Wii that I’ve been using), and on some days I ate more carbs than I usually do.  I also made sure I drank plenty of water each day–at least a gallon, if not more on some days.

As of today, I am 27 pounds away from my surgeon’s goal weight, and I am in the weight range I’d hoped I’d be in by my birthday, which is in 3 weeks.  Seeing my weight loss ticker that shows I have less than 80 pounds to my goal weight is exciting, trippy, and scary all at once.  I really am in uncharted waters now, because I’m now closer to 200 pounds than I have ever been in my whole life and it feels weird.  I mean, I’ve lost more weight than some people weigh.  I’m hearing the “you’re going to waste away” comment more now than I ever have, and that is one comment I really, really hate for reasons I’ll detail in another post.

This week’s challenges:  staying active and managing stress.  I’m glad I remembered that I have that stupid walking game for the Wii, because there are just some nights when I don’t feel up to getting dressed for the gym that I can just run around my living room like a fool for 30 minutes and get in a workout.  Stress management is also going to be key this week, as family stuff is still going on, and as the grading period approaches its end, it’s time to contact parents of kids who aren’t doing their work.  This is my least favorite part of teaching and always has been.

This week’s wins:  I had seafood several times this week, which has been a goal of mine.  I hope to continue that eating pattern this week.  At the store today, I picked up some sockeye salmon that we’re having for dinner tomorrow night, and some ruby red trout that we’re having for dinner tonight.  I’m going to try and avoid beef if at all possible this week, as I’m working to limit the amount of beef I eat entirely. Not that I don’t love it, but I get more protein from fish, chicken and turkey than I do beef or pork.   I also registered for the Firefly Run, which is at the end of next month.  Participating in a 5K has been one of my goals for a while now, and I’m finally going to do it!  I’m excited about it, and a little scared because this will be the first 5K that I actually DO.  I registered for the untimed race because I know I will be slow.  Hopefully by then I will also be about 10 pounds lighter so that running part of it won’t be too much of a pain, but we’ll see.  If I thought I could be consistent enough with the training, I’d totally start the Couch to 5K program, but my schedule doesn’t allow me to follow the plan every single day.  And I am NOT an early morning exerciser.  I tried that shit for a year, and hated every minute of it.  I refuse to subject myself to that again.  Another win:  I am down another pants size.  So in 7 months, I am down 7 pants sizes and 6 shirt sizes.  CRAZY.  I have a bunch of cute skirts in my closet I will have to take to my tailor to have taken in so that I can wear them this spring.   Final win:  liver enzyme tests are still elevated but their levels have decreased.  My doctor isn’t overly concerned at this point since I am not having any abdominal pain or other symptoms, so I’m calling it a win and I’m not going to worry about it unless I start having symptoms.

The plan this week is also to cut this mop of hair…with it being really thin on top, the length isn’t doing anything to make it look good, and I’m tired of losing great handfuls of it every time I wash it. I think if it is shorter at least I won’t feel terrible about losing handfuls of shorter hair!

I’m planning on roasting off some chicken breasts with a honey barbecue sauce for lunches and dinners this week, cooking some turkey breast cutlets to eat for the week, and baking yet another ham, egg and cheese breakfast casserole.  That seems to work out really well for me because all I have to do is pop it in the microwave to reheat it in the mornings and I’m good to go.

Yesterday’s eating was okay.  I didn’t get in as much protein as I would have liked, and I got in more carbs, but I didn’t do too terribly:  966 calories, 73 grams protein, 74 grams carbs, 41 grams fat.  I drank just 1 cup shy of a gallon of water, and played some Wii tennis for about 20 minutes just to get some movement in.  Lots of walking yesterday, though.

Saturday’s food , from top: ham, egg and cheese breakfast casserole; Cracker Barrel lemon pepper rainbow trout filet, green beans, carrots, cheese grits and part of a cornbread muffin; 1 chocolate covered strawberry; rotisserie chicken breast, green beans and garlic dill new potatoes from Boston Market; multivitamin and calcium supplements x2, iron supplement.