Fourteen weeks and counting

As of 6 January 2020, 217ish?

Having just passed my third month post~RnY, I can tell you that all my lab numbers are looking good with a few exceptions and even those are not significantly alarming, as I know what I need to do to correct the situation.  It's been a struggle to get enough protein into me and stay hydrated, I usually have to focus on either one or the other as I wasn't getting either on a daily basis and so I  have been switching up my strategy to be sure that I get at least one of the two each day.  All my functions are indicating that my organs are getting what they need and so forth, tho it's the insufficient protein that is beginning to show up.

I knew in theory that protein was important, but I didn't realize how in practice it really does make a difference in functioning and so forth.  I'd prefer to get my proteins and micronutrients from the food I eat, but that is not happening for me just now.  So I resumed consuming some protein supplements a few weeks ago.  This is in the form of protein powders, drinks, bars, etc.  I'm pretty selective about it tho, making sure that it is twenty grams or higher in protein {sometimes I don't eat a whole bar at one time, so that makes a huge difference overall}, as little sugar {or sugar alcohols} as possible and no more than three grams, and I do consider the overall caloric count as well {aiming for one hundred, but sometimes going as high was twice the amount of protein grams}.   If it doesn't at least seem edible, then it is not going to do me much good sitting on the cupboard shelf, is it?  nope.  So I tried bunches of brands til I finally hit on one that is not quite making me shudder as I choke it down.  In fact, some of the flavors within that specific brand are actually quite good to me right now.

At this time, I'm about 3/4s of what I started at, weightwise.  This means that I started about 280lbs in the beginning of September.  I started to implement some of the eating methods and choices then, making the transition to a lower calorie count, no multiple portions, more water, focusing on nutrient dense and protein rich choices of foods.  I'd also started to prepare for post surgery by stocking up on the vitamins and minerals I would need, as well as certain supplements.

 The morning of surgery, in midOctober, I weighed in at 257 and this morning I weighed 211.   I've been tracking my intake of water, foods, vitamins/minerals, and supplements.  Also, I've increased my physical activity slowly, walking and stretching.  The tracker I'm using allows me to enter that as well.

My husband is very encouraging, and is also joining me for the walking  portion of things at the local sportsplex which has an indoor walking track ~~ cold bitter mornings and days are Mississippi's norm for  this time of the year.  When the weather does get nicer, we will  use the parks' and  a few tracks at the highschool and local university.  So we do have plans in place.

My counselor and I have been discussing satiety, cravings, and my relationship with food so that I can have a better handle on things when the grace period is over and I no longer have the safeguard that the surgery afforded me for the first six to eighteen months while my brain and digestive system figure out the chaos I've implemented on my own system in the desperate bid to reset my habits, so that I can learn some much better ones and have the consequences of not being able to physically over eat {if I do, I vomit} or eat sugars {ibid} or eat too fast {ditto}.  I don't want to rely on that for too long tho and so really  want to do all I can to develop better habits while I  am in the conditioning phase of things  due to paying consequences immediately for incorrect choices/behaviors.

I have been focused on several things, so that I don't overwhelm myself; then as I get a handle on those things, I add one or two more  to the  good habit list.  For example, I've pretty much gotten a good grip on the portion control with the good method of eating more slowly and chewing more thoroughly.   Likewise, the routine of taking my meds as well as my vitamins/minerals is well established.  So I've begun to add the increase in my physical activity along with maintaining those good habits.

As far as goal setting goes, I do have a few that are not directly related to RnY but actually have some indirect ties.  Now that I am sleeping better, waking earlier, and having more energy, I can actually DO some of the things that I have wanted to for quite some time.  So I have some plans in place and have already started working on two of the three activities:  writing and sewing.   The third one is going thru the rest of mom's treasures so that I can be more prepared to give the items to some of her friends and family who have been patiently waiting for five years to receive them.  That will start when things are no longer quite so cold in that part of the house as we only heat our actual living space that we use on a daily basis.

Overall, I feel very positive about our New Year's activities thus far and plans for the future. I hope that  you too are enjoying your January!   Catch you next month for an update and what's new.