Happy Halloween. I had a terrific day at work today with some fun festivities. We had a costume party and contest, pumpkin toss, witch hat toss, fun treats, and more.
I had a Halloween cookie, but to be honest even half of it was a bit much. I do eat treats now and then in very small portions. When you have a gastric bypass if you eat too much sugar at a time, you have something called dumping syndrome. It makes you feel sweaty, nauseated, light headed, and just overall crummy. I have only experienced this a few times, but it is part of how the surgery works. I knew and accepted this going into it. Five months out now and I think I’ve got down what amount of treats will cause this or won’t.
Last time I talked about the liquid diet and soft food diet. After the soft food diet which lasts 3-5 weeks, I graduated to a regular diet. When I say regular though it is a whole new way of getting used to eating again. You have to basically relearn how to eat, what kinds of food you can eat, and eat very small portions at a time. My favorite foods before surgery did not sit right. Some examples are eggs, anything grilled, hot dogs, cereals, pasta, bread, and more. I knew I might not tolerate pasta and bread. I’ve been able to have bits of these food, however right now I’m not tolerating them at all. My surgeon told me not to be discouraged because this comes and goes. He was right about this. After I started a regular diet, I could not tolerate cooked hamburger and now I can. It’s a matter of trial and error. I’ve made dinners and then looked at them and smelled them, deciding instantly to take a pass.
I use the Lose It app to track all of my food and calories. I track every bite, lick, and taste. I learned that term from years of Weight Watchers and they were right about the importance! It also helps me track protein, carbohydrates, and fat. I tend to eat the same foods which is how I got in the rut so to speak. I’m trying to increase my protein now for my health benefits. I do tolerate soft cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, nuts and seeds, and fish really well.
If I eat something my body does not like or does not go down well, I have to rest my tummy and sometimes for hours. Then, I focus on getting water down and staying hydrated until I feel like trying again. I am recovering very nicely though in my opinion. I’m happy with my progress and what I can eat. Don’t get me wrong, some days I do grieve my old ways of eating a little. Monday night we had to get my son wrestling shoes and we passed a Burger King. I told my husband I sometimes I wish I could just chow down on a burger! The overall benefits to my health though far outweigh that desire.
I share this with you as my readers so you know what a real person is going through with bariatric surgery and recovery. I will continue to share more about recovery, how my progress is going, and more. I also want to share some ideas for non surgical weight loss. Upcoming I also plan a blog on the decision to lose weight or not to lose weight. I firmly believe we need to love ourselves and our bodies regardless of our scale. Hope you all enjoy something fun today. Thanks for reading. For those that have signed up through e-mail I will send out my newsletter. Take care.