7 Days Post Op

The week has finally ended and I wanted to bring everyone up to date by adding to where I left off Monday at the creation of this Blog.

Weight 300.6
Average daily calorie intake: around 900
Average excersize: 30 min walking
Total weight loss: 19.4lbs in 7 days

I will spare you the tedious diet and sup it up by saying that I am living off of protien shakes and protien shots. My extravegances are my morning coffee and the occational pusing of the "pureed food" groups while trying to get enough liquids in me to stay off dehydration. I am also taking a multivitimin and a good old stool softener until I can get some fiber into my diet.

I had to make one pork and one beef dish the other night at school using grass feed products and of course I had to see if I could notice the difference in that and corn feed. I am not sure if the difference was the grass fed, the fact that I am a crazy good cook or that I had not had anything substancial for 5 days but damn it was good.

I had a cube of steak (grilled to a perfect medium rear with just salt and pepper) that was about 1/4" and about 5 of the same size bites of pork cutlet (standard breading with panko at the end and sauteed over a mushroom sauce) that was done to perfection. I made sure to chew the food until you could have sucked it through a cocktail straw and only had a little irritation with it. The 1 or 2 minutes after swallowing seem to be the most issue I have with anything and that is more of a discomfort than anything to worry about.

Those of you who already know me also know that I am not one for following recuperative orders very well. I have broken screws in my leg to prove that.

OK, so I am occasionally pushing the bonds of good judgment but I am doing it responsibly and having no problems with loosing (vomiting) my efforts. trying to stay with soups I took a pizza sauce that was made in class and made it into a cream of tomato soup that came out rather good.

I have also picked up a GREAT deal on a top of the line treadmill and walking about :30 a day. No, I did not lift it myself (doctors orders) I used my favorite exterior muscle power Dave and Judd, thanks guys.

I seem to find more and more people know others close to them who have had some type of gastric procedure. It is a wonderful tool that CAN (not will) help force you into a more healthy way of eating. I would say this would be very hard for people who crave certain foods. If you are addicted to daily doses of ice cream, this is going to be VERY hard on you.

Over the last couple of months I really tried to analyze how, what and how much I was eating. The conclusion was that I was eating much more than I really needed or even wanted. I ate it because in was there. Even if I made it myself; the question became; Well when will I have the chance to make this again? The first few bites where great but then I ate it mindlessly. I hope the way I raised my kids will help them; I allow them to eat when they where hungry, I tried to expose them to all types of food, I TRIED to minimize their fast food intake, and I tried to teach them something about cooking. I wish that I had know as much about cooking 15 years ago as I do now so I could have done better at that.

Bottom line for the week..... I am feeling pretty good, very few issues, I get hungry but when a 1/2 cup of jello can actually satisfy those hungers, I am learning my limits. Here is to another week of
soups and jello. This next week is finals week and will only have to cook a rack of lamb with a vegetable and starch in class, lamb is a puree, right?

From now on I will simply give you a week by week Blog entry on Fridays.

Happy Halloween everyone.

4 days post op

I tried to start this blog a couple of days ago with no luck but all you missed was liquid and 13lbs. Yes, since last Thursday I have lost 13 pounds. It feels really good to get into that shirt that has been hanging in the closet for the last 3 years just waiting for a sugnificant weight loss.

Back story:

Thursday, Ocober 20th, 2011 I went in for the Gastric Sleeve proceedure performed by Dr. James Akenson here in Las Vegas at North Vista Hospital. My out of pocket costs with good insurance was $550.00

Day of surgery (10/20/11):
Weight: 320 pounds
Height: 5'11"
BMI: 43


I was pretty drugged up until about 10pm Friday night but by then I was taking water and walking laps around the hosital wing. I did about 30 laps by the time I was checked out around noon on Friday and ended up going to a friends first opening with their food trailer. No, I did not get to eat but I was there for moral support.

Saturday (10/22/11)
Weight: 313 pounds

I kept mostly to liquids like Ensure Protein Shakes and I found ISOPure punch drinks at GNC that had 40g of protein.

I also tried making my Cream of Carrot soup and messed it up by adding Whey Protein while it was still too hot. I looked like scrambled eggs in cheese cauce and did not taste very good.

Sunday (10/23/11)
Weight: 309 pounds
Went to meet friends for breakfast and had a poached egg along with my Ensure. I had a Protein Energy Shot (2.5oz of punch flavored juice and 26g of Protein) for lunch and made Vegitarian French Onion Soup (vegitable broth instead of beef broth) for dinner.

Monday (10/24/11)
Weight: 307 pounds
I started filling out my Calory King program to really track this. By the time I got off from work and headed to my colinary classes I had had the following:
1 Ensure
2 cups of coffee with sweetner and coffeemate
1/2 bottle of ISOPure
1 Protein Shot
and walked for 15 minutes durng lunch time

By 5pm I was at 357 calories, 4.1g of fat, 3.0g of fiber, 424mg of sodium, 38.5g of carbs and 71.6g of protein.

My daily goals are:
90g of carbs, 105g of protein, 1,200 calories, 30g of fiber and 1,500mg of sodium