064 Post-Op Week Six Update

Here we are, everyone. It's New Year's Eve. Can you believe that another year is gone! As big as that all is, Jimmy has been marking his progress in much smaller units. Today he is sharing with you his Post Op Week Six Update. Find out how much he has lost and the latest things that have been going on--all in Jimmy's own words. I hope you enjoy!

063 Christmas at the Mustions

Hope you all had some very Merry Christmases. I know we had a great one here at the Mustion House.

Christmas is the only day of the year that Jimmy voluntarily gets up early. This year I was fortunate enough to be able to sleep until 6:40. First thing that we did was get up and open presents. We both got some books, blu-rays, and misc other items -- no candy (thank goodness!).

Our next tradition was always to have a big Christmas breakfast. This year we compromised. We did something small versus this huge entourage of biscuits and gravy, eggs, bacon, etc. We both had a slice of turkey bacon, LIFE cereal, and I had some pineapple.

After breakfast we were supposed to go and see Les Miserables but we have both had a cold so we decided to relax around the house. *Side note: Saw Les Mis last night and we both thought it was amazing!* So instead of going out we pulled out the Hunger Games puzzle Jimmy got for his birthday and we had fun getting it started while we watched some of our new movies.

Finally we had dinner with some friends, read the Christmas Story, and drove through the light show at Krug Park. It was an amazing day and we are truly thankful that we got to spend it together.

Jimmy got me a Diet Dr. Pepper case for my phone. I admit that I am an addict.

Jimmy just as we are opening his Hunger Games Puzzle.

I don't know if this is actually a gift for me or for Jimmy but it had my name on it.

I look forward to reading Enclave. Jimmy and I must have both thought it looked good since we both ended up getting it for each other.

Jimmy's Christmas Haul including his stocking and some gifts from my family.

062 Accomplishment of the Day

Today's accomplishment is that Jimmy was able to wear a shirt from 10 years ago for the first time in...10 years (almost)!

"Not Ashamed" from T.E.S.T.I.f.Y. Student Ministry from First Baptist Church of DeSoto, MO.

061 Merry Christmas & Congratulations

To all of our friends and family who follow the blog. Thank you for all of your love, support, and prayers this year. We truly couldn't do it without all of you backing us! You mean so much to us and we wish you the very best this holiday season!

I would also like to say, "Congratulations!" to Jimmy for the 105 lbs that he has lost since he started his liquid diet on Nov. 2nd! SO PROUD OF YOU!!! Total weight loss is a little higher but this is the most current number since Nov. 2nd.

060 Celebrate the Season

Jimmy and I wanted to take this opportunity to wish you Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and all that jazz! I hope you enjoy our Christmas card. I designed it myself! Today I also wanted to share with you an edited excerpt from a post I wrote on my long standing blog Life as a Minister's Wife.

So here it is...

Celebrate with Custom Cards and Support a Good Cause

Almost two months ago, Jimmy had weight loss surgery. This is an amazing tool to help him fight his life long battle with obesity. However, it is also a major life adjustment so 99% of my time has been devoted to helping Jimmy adjust and to making his whole surgery and recovery possible. 

With the other 1% of my time, I have been working on getting my own freelance graphic design business up and running. I am starting small with a website and selling some things on Etsy. In addition I have done some custom gifts for friends. I love it! It is relaxing and refreshing to be able to sit down and create something that I know someone else is going to love.

Plus, all the money I make from the cards is going toward paying Jimmy's surgery and hospital bills! So it's a great way to support a local minister and his family during the holiday season. If you are interested in seeing some of my designs/gifts, please visit Mustion Design on Etsy.com .

I hope you have a happy holiday season and a Merry Christmas!

Grace and Peace,

059 Christmas Dinner Bariatric Style

I don't know if you have ever heard Bing Crosby (one of my all time favs!) sing the song "Christmas Dinner Country Style" or not. In ode to him I decided to call this post Christmas Dinner Bariatric Style. I really don't know what we will be having for Christmas dinner but I wanted to throw some ideas out there for traditional Christmas Dinner items that someone on the Stage 3 gastric sleeve diet could eat at family gatherings.

Just remember proteins, fruits & veggies, & everything else. *IMPORTANT REMINDER: Every WLS program is different and their diets and dietary allowances are different. Make sure to follow the plan your surgeon has prescribed to you. These are things Jimmy is allowed to eat per his surgeon. Talk to your doctor before making changes to your diet or exercise program.*

1. Start with Protein
First things first, bariatric patients are supposed to focus on eating foods that are high in protein and low in fat. Keep an eye out for the family turkey, ham, and/or chicken. They are going to be your friend--who you will then eat--but go easy on any gravy or dressing which may come with those meats.

2. Fruits and Veggies
Once you have consumed your proteins you can look around for fruits and veggies. Keep in mind that at Stage 3 all these fruits and veggies must either be canned or cooked so that they are soft. So you could hunt for the pineapple rings that are often baked on top of the ham or you could reasonably find some green beans or mashed potatoes (go easy on the taters). Skip the green bean casserole (too fattening and has the french fried onions on top) and candied yams. Their minuses far outweigh their pluses!

3. Just a Dab of other Goodies
You only get to choose a really small portion of other things if you are still hungry. Don't overeat because you will be ten times more miserable than when you overate last Christmas and/or Thanksgiving because now you have had bariatric surgery. Also avoid foods that you know aren't on your list and especially those which contain large amounts of sugar. There is nothing worse than Dumping Syndrome when you are trying to have a great time at Christmas!

More than focusing on the foods you can or cannot have be sure to focus on your family. They are more important than food anyway. Make food a small part of your whole celebration not your whole celebration.

Just for fun, I have included Bing Crosby singing "Christmas Dinner Country Style." I hope you enjoy it and enjoy your families this holiday season.

Click the Button Below to Listen to
Christmas Dinner Country Style
Sung by Bing Crosby

Christmas Dinner Country Style (24-Bit Digitally Remastered 99)

058 This Really Is Working!

Last night was our annual #WinningSM Youth Christmas party. We had a blast! We had snacks (ok, Jimmy didn't have snacks but I did) and we played a gift exchange game. Jimmy also gave his annual gift to one lucky youth. BUT the best part of all of it for me is that tonight I got to hear Jimmy say "I look skinnier" for the first time tonight!

It's one thing to see the numbers go down and down on the scale, and don't get me wrong we feel great about the numbers going down. However, it is a whole other ball of wax to feel those changes and to see them when you look at yourself in a video, photos, or the mirror. That's what happened last night.

We got home from the Christmas party and Jimmy decided he wanted to watch the video of him giving his gift to Adri. After the second time of watching it, he turned to me and said, "Hey, I look skinnier! This is actually working!" I wanted to say "Duh!" but I resisted the temptation. I just smiled and let him continue to enjoy his moment of realization and the funny video.

Don't take our word for it though. I am including the video so you can see for yourself how great Jimmy is looking, and so you can get a good laugh at how funny teenagers are when something unexpected happens. I hope you enjoy!

057 A Family Recipe: Tender Baked Chicken Breast

Stage 3 Day 2 Dinner: 1 oz. green beans and 2 oz. of
Grandma's Tender Baked Chicken Breast

Last night I was thrilled to be able to use a recipe that my Grandma Miller taught me when I was in college to make some amazing and juicy baked chicken breast. It was nice on two levels. Number one, I know that I don't have to scratch all the recipes that I have ever used before. Most importantly is Number two. It made me feel good to use a recipe my Grandma taught me--no matter how simple it may be!

Luckily for you there are no secret family ingredients included so I thought that I would share it with you. It's a great recipe to make for anyone who is allowed to have foods which are high in protein and low in fat. Plus the chicken really does stay tender and juicy so it reduces the risk that it will get stuck in the stomach of a bariatric patient and reduces the need for barbecue sauce or ketchup.

Please realize that this recipe is the version I reduced down for Jimmy and I to share because he now eats much less than before. Also in the picture above I have cut the chicken in tiny bite size pieces which aides with his digestion, and has the added benefit of helping him to slow down the pace at which he eats. So anyway...here it is!

Grandma's Recipe for Tender Baked Chicken Breast

Ingredients:

• 1 large chicken breast (we shared)
• 1.5 T Light Mayo (approx.)
• Mrs. Dash or other seasoning to taste (Mrs. Dash is great because it is low in salt but high in flavor)

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F
2. Place chicken on baking sheet and evenly cover it with a thin layer of the light Mayo (top side only)
3. Sprinkle enter mayo covering with Mrs. Dash
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until chicken breast is cooked through
5. ENJOY!

056 Eating on Stage 3 Day 1

Jimmy looked forward to Stage 3 Day 1 for weeks. Why? It's the first time he could plan meals with some amount of true eating freedom! So what did he eat? Well, I am going to show you that in a minute.

First, if you don't know what the heck we are talking about...

After bariatric surgery, you should go through a series of diet changes--our program calls them Stages. This will allow you to gradually get back to a "normal" diet and will allow time for your stomach to heal properly. Every program has different requirements and different diets. Read more about Jimmy's Stage 3 Diet. Please remember that although we provide you the information about what Jimmy's doctor has prescribed for him you should still consult your own doctor before starting any new diet or exercise program.

Drum roll please! (Seriously I almost started singing the 12 Days of Christmas in my head--bariatric style--as I started to write this next part. How funny!)

Stage 3 Day 1: Breakfast

This is the first time in six weeks that Jimmy has been able to eat a banana, which used to be a daily activity.  He was very, very excited about eating even half a banana! (slice of reduced fat sharp cheddar and half a banana with a dab of reduced fat peanut butter)

Stage 3 Day 1: Lunch

The plate on the left is Jimmy's food. He thought it would be funny to compare it to the plate of one of the teenagers we were eating with at church. (1oz of sliced Turkey from the deli, reduced fat sharp cheddar, 1 oz wheat thins which we found out Krystal really meant to be Triscuits. haha)

Stage 3 Day 1: Dinner

For dinner we had my homemade turkey chili. In this shot Jimmy is comparing what he used to eat in one serving of chili (the big white bowl) with what he is allowed to have right now (1/2 cup pictured in the yellow bowl).

I hope you enjoyed getting to see what Jimmy ate on the first day of his Stage 3 diet!

055 Gastric Sleeve Post-Op Week Four Update

Once again I was able to wrangle Jimmy in front of the camera to give you an update on how life is treating him. In his gastric sleeve post-op week four update, you can look forward to hearing about some differences in portion sizes and some updated weight loss numbers. There is a full body shot but I wanted to get a better shot of him doing the 360 degree turn but he is really tall and your kitchen is really small so I apologize about the quality on that one. Still we did try!

This week is also the very busy lead up to the Christmas holidays. I wish you all the very Merriest of Christmases and a Happy New Year. I look forward to telling you all about how our Christmas and New Year were different than in years past and hopefully about some new traditions we have started in the process. So many new experiences to look forward too!

Enjoy the vlog and come back to visit often.

054 Gastric Sleeve Diet Stage 3

Today marks four weeks out from Jimmy's gastric sleeve weight loss surgery! We are so excited because he is doing really, really well AND he gets to start his Stage 3 Diet on Sunday! He won't have his month appointment for a couple more weeks (due to the holidays) but when he does we will let you know what Dr. Hornbostel and everyone else had to say. So I know that everyone really seems to love and be fascinated by what Jimmy is allowed to eat and what he is not. I am including his whole Stage 3 diet below. Be aware that some of the foods Jimmy was allowed to eat before are being phased out for healthier options now that he is allowed a wider variety of foods. Don't miss that because I guarantee Jimmy won't! I realize this diet may be different than the one prescribed by your surgeon. All bariatric surgical programs are different. Talk to your surgeon before changing your diet or exercise program. This diet was prescribed to Jimmy by his surgeon (Dr. H) and nutritionist (Krystal).

Jimmy's Post-Op Stage 3 Gastric Sleeve Surgery Diet
What is the Stage 3 bariatric diet?
It is a soft diet that consists of foods high in protein with no added sugar and minimal fat

Recommended Foods:
Meats/Eggs/Cheese/Dairy/Legumes - These foods are high in protein, consume them first at meals. Meat should be lean, moist, tender and must be chopped or ground. Make sure your body can tolerate fish and poultry before trying to eat beef and/or pork.

• Skinless chicken or turkey
• Baked or grilled fish and shellfish
• Lean ground beef or pork (if tolerating poultry and fish well)
• Thinly sliced deli meats such as chicken, turkey, roast beef, or ham (these should be purchased at the deli counter so they will be lower in salt and preservatives)
• Meat, tuna, or egg salad prepared with light mayonnaise
• Meatless burger (vegetable, bean or soy based)
• Well cooked beans: black, garbanzo, kidney, lima, navy, pinto (including low fat refried beans), etc.
• Cheese (reduced fat)
• Eggs
• Creamy peanut butter (less than 5g of Sugar per serving & may be used in small amounts to add protein to foods such as oatmeal, yogurt, and/or protein drinks)
• Skim, 1% Milk, or soy milk (containing no more than 20g Carbs per serving)
• Yogurt - Low fat or Fat free (must be no sugar added and have less than 20g Carbohydrates per serving)

Protein Supplements - It is still very important that you consume between 40g to 60g of protein a day. This requirement will never go away.

• High Protein nutritional drinks as allowed on Stage 1 and Stage 2 diets (must have a minimum of 15g Protein per serving and less than 20g Carbs per serving)
• Powdered protein drinks may still be used
• Protein bars (containing at least 15g protein per serving and no more than 20g of Carbs per serving)

Vegetables - Vegetables MUST BE COOKED until very soft and prepared with minimal fat. Do not eat skins.

• Asparagus
• Beets, Broccoli, Cauliflower
• Celery, Carrots
• Eggplant, okra
• Lentils, beans as listed above
• Mushrooms, onions, peppers
• Spinach, sugar snap peas
• Squash, any kind
• Turnips
• Green beans or wax beans
• Tomatoes, no skin
• Potatoes, white or sweet (no skins, no fried potatoes)

Fruits - All fruits must be canned or frozen (except ripe Bananas). Do not eat skins or peels. Canned fruits must be packed in its own juice. Frozen fruit should have no sugar added.

• Apricots, peaches, pears, crushed pineapple
• Applesauce (no sugar added), mandarin oranges, fruit cocktail
• Frozen honeydew melon, cantaloupe, seedless watermelon
• Canned or frozen mango, papaya, cherries

Starches/Oils/Misc. Foods

• Oatmeal or Cream of Wheat (no sugar added)
• Cold Cereals (containing no more than 5g. of Sugar per serving)
• Fat Free or Low Fat Soup
• Whole Wheat Crackers (Triscuits - updated 12/17/12 as of Jimmy's meeting with Krystal)
• Whole Wheat toast, melba toast
• Sugar Free Pudding
• Sugar free ice cream or frozen yogurt. Avoid sherbet.
• Oils - olive, canola, soybean
• Margarine (trans fat free), butter, sugar free jelly
• Herbs, Spices, Salt, & Pepper

Foods to Avoid

• Soft bread (it can make a dough ball that could plug up your stomach)
• Rice
• Spaghetti and other pastas
• Macaroni and Cheese
• Raisins, prunes, and other dried fruit (these are too sweet)
• Granola and other Cereals with nuts
• Raw fruits and vegetables, salad
• Nuts and Popcorn
• Chips and crackers (other than whole wheat crackers)
• Tough or chewy meat
• Whole pieces of corn or whole peas (puree before eating)
• High fat foods (butter, margarine, oil, regular mayonnaise, sour cream, cream cheese, salad dressing, whole milk, half and half, ice cream, cakes, cookies, pies, other desserts, bacon, and sausage)

Serving Size: 1/4c. - 1/2c. (2 - 4oz) of food, 3 - 4 times a day. NO MORE THAN 1/2c AT A TIME! Focus on eating foods containing protein first. Avoid drinking with meals and for at least 30 minutes after meals. Drinking with meal or directly after meals can cause Dumping Syndrome. Continue to drink a minimum of 6c. of fluid daily (see Stage 1). Avoid Fruit Juice or limit it to a maximum 4oz. per day (100% juice with no sugar added). 

Duration: Follow this diet for Weeks 5, 6, 7, & 8 following the surgery or until your doctor advises differently (this diet begins 1 month after your surgery)

053 A Not so Regular Doctor's Appointment

It's almost been four weeks since Jimmy's surgery. He has done amazing! Plus he has lost over 85 lbs since starting his liquid diet on Nov. 2nd! However, your body starts to go through some major changes when you lose that weight so Jimmy really needed to go see his primary care doctor.

Yesterday was the first time in the six and a half years that we have been married that I haven't been able to go to the doctor with Jimmy. He was a real trooper and decided to tough it out and go on his own even though he really, really hates going to the doctor's office. Anyway, so he goes in to talk about why he isn't sleeping well, why he is having dizziness when he is active, and why he is having cramping in his legs and knees when he tries to sleep.

Well...

He calls me two hours after his appointment was supposed to have started to tell me that he has just gotten in and that they are going to draw blood to check his potassium levels but that Dr. Weiderholt is concerned about his blood pressure because it is very low.

An hour later...

His blood pressure is fine when he is at rest but it drops after being active (like standing up or sitting down) so she is going to keep him a little longer to monitor him and she won't draw blood until his blood pressure comes up.

An hour later...

Jimmy calls to tell me that I need to come and pick him up because Dr. Weiderholt is sending him to the ER and doesn't want him to drive himself! Yeah I was more than a little surprised. So I leave work, drive across town to the doctor's office, pick him up, and drive him back across town to the ER.

We got right into the ER. What a blessing! The doctor got in to see us pretty quickly. He talked to Jimmy and determined that they needed to draw blood for labs and they would give him an IV for fluids and the ER doctor would call "Dr. Hornbuckle" (I am sure Dr. H would have been thrilled to know a colleague was totally murdering his name!) and talk to him about everything.

At this point Jimmy is pretty dehydrated from being the in doctor's office all day so they have a lot of trouble getting the IV in and have to bring in the vein ultrasound machine. They draw labs and get the IV going and give him two bags of IV fluid to make sure he is well hydrated. By the time the second bag was half empty they had the results of Jimmy's labs.

His potassium is low which is causing several of his symptoms. So they gave him two potassium pills in the hospital and prescribed a potassium pill for daily use at home over the next week. The doctors also decided to take Jimmy off his blood pressure medicine. Evidently his blood pressure has dramatically begun to improve due to the weight loss and the meds were making his blood pressure too low. Go figure! They also told us that the dehydration was making a mess of his blood pressure as well.

About three hours later...

Once the second bag of fluids was finished, we were free to go although Jimmy will have to go in to have labs again on Friday as well as a follow up with Dr. H. Thankfully, my friend Dana was able to give me a ride to back to my car so I didn't have to leave it at the Dr. Weiderholt's office overnight. Then when I got home we settled down and snuggled in and watched Survivor and ate dinner.

It was a really long evening, but I wanted to say "Thank You" to all of you who offered up thoughts and prayers on our behalf. You are greatly appreciated! And Thank You to Dana for going out of her way to pick me up and take me back to my car. You are a lifesaver!

052 Please Pass the Fiber

Today I want to keep it short but valid. DON'T FORGET YOUR FIBER! I realize that every bariatric program is different but there are a few things that they all have in common. They should be low in calories and fat and high in protein.

What most people don't realize it that the increase in protein in your diet can cause some major constipation! It's important that you talk to your doctor about what kind of fiber they would like you to take. Our program recommends Benefiber. However, there has been some kind of recall on Benefiber so it is next to impossible to find at a reasonable price due to the shortage. Go figure! So some of our friends have recommended we try Miralax instead.

The important thing is that you are taking a fiber which works for you because prolonged constipation can lead to some serious conditions such as blockage. Constipation can also reduce your already low appetite and cause nausea. None of these things are fun so don't forget your fiber!

051 Hitting the Protein Goal

Over the past couple of weeks we have really been trying to adjust to this whole new way of life and this new diet. Two of the hardest things (related to food) which we have had to face have been #1 burn out on the food that Jimmy is currently allowed to eat and #2 trying to get in Jimmy's daily allotted protein. Thankfully, Jimmy will have more variety in his diet starting on Sunday, December 16th, when he can start his  Stage 3 diet. But what to do about protein?

Let me tell you...the liquid protein shots that he had to drink the first week after the surgery were just plain nasty! So we definitely don't want to go back to those. Some of the whey protein powder drinks leave much to be desired too. So we have been searching the internet, blogs, forums, and support group for some great protein shake recipes.

As Bariatric Foodie put it, "...there is no excuse for drinking a nasty protein shake!" So here are some awesome protein shake recipes that we have either tried or look forward to trying soon.

Berry Cheesecake Protein Smoothie
1 Scoop unflavored protein powder
1c. 1% or skim Milk
1/2c. 1% Cottage Cheese
Frozen or Fresh Fruit to Taste

Pumpkin Pie
Milk
1 scoop vanilla protein
2 tbsp pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
2 tbsp sugar-free pumpkin pie syrup (or 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice)
sweetener to taste

Cinnabon
Milk
1 scoop vanilla whey
1 tbsp Sugar Free, Fat Free cheesecake pudding mix
1 tbsp Sugar Free cinnamon syrup
1 tbsp toasted almond syrup 

Chocolate, Caramel, & Coffee Protein Shake
2 scoops Chocolate Whey Protein Powder
8 oz Decaf Coffee
8 oz 1% Milk
2 tbsp Sugar Free Caramel Creamer


Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Shake
1 Scoop chocolate protein powder
1c. unsweetened chocolate almond milk (could sub with sugar free vanilla coconut milk)
1 T. natural peanut butter
Sweetener to Taste (optional)
3-5 Ice Cubes

050 Post-Op Week 3 Update

Happy Holidays! Yes, it's that time of year again. Can you believe it?

To me it is much easier to believe that it's almost Christmas time again than  to believe that it has already been three weeks since Jimmy's gastric sleeve weight loss surgery. I mean come on! Three weeks already! No way! Well I can deny it all I want but it is true.

So Jimmy has recorded a little week three post-op video for you to enjoy and to let you know how he is doing. He also wanted to let me know that it was really nice to see many of you at church yesterday. It was his first service he was able to attend since his surgery and he had really been missing everyone. Thank you all for all of the prayers and concern and thoughts that have been offered up on our behalf. We really appreciate all of them.

Before I start rambling, I better stop and let you get on with the show!

Thanks again,

049 Commonly Asked Questions

Morning, everyone! It is now three weeks to the day since Jimmy had his gastric sleeve weight loss surgery. It is simply amazing how quickly time passes. We are still on the long road of changing our lifestyle so that he can continue to have success in his weight loss, but we are making it.

As time passes, more and more questions arise about weight loss surgery and what the experience is like. I know we did this massive 20 Questions post a few weeks back, but I have decided that from time to time I will post additional Q&A posts to answer a few of the current questions we have been encountering.

Q: Does gastric sleeve weight loss surgery affect your breath capacity or activities related to lung capacity such as singing/swimming/etc.?

A: No. Gastric sleeve WLS reduces the size of your stomach. It does not effect lung capacity or the function of your diaphragm. Of course, the hospital will give you breathing tests before you are released from care but this has more to do with the anesthesia and the surgical process rather than the gastric sleeve itself.

Q: Is irritability common during the pre-op liquid diet?

A: In general I would suppose that the answer to this would be yes but I am sure that it varies from person to person. If you get cranky when you are hungry now then you should expect to be irritable and cranky when you are on the pre-op liquid diet. Every program is different so the pre-op foods you are allowed may be vastly different than mine were but you can read more about my pre-op liquid diet here.

Q: How soon will I be able to go back to work after surgery?

A: You can return to work after you have been cleared to do so by your surgeon. If you have a desk job this may be as soon as two weeks. The more physical your job is the longer it is likely to take to return to work. Talking to your surgeon about your particular circumstances are very important. Also, keep in mind that you need to take some time to make mental and emotional adjustments to your new stomach and eating habits. These adjustments may be harder than you anticipate.

Q: What has been the hardest part of your first 3 weeks of post-op life?

A: The social adjustments. You need to find other ways to celebrate life, family, and friends. You also will mourn some of your favorite foods that you either can't eat right away or may never be able to eat again. Plus, you begin to realize for the first time just who big of a role food played in your pre-surgery life and it can be really hard to face those facts and changes.


Q: What is your appetite like after the surgery?

A: Jimmy hasn't had much of an appetite. In the past three weeks there has only been one or two days that I can remember him saying that he is really hungry. I believe that Jimmy's appetite reduction is due in part to the reduction of his stomach and part because he is getting tired of eating the foods he is allowed in his diet at this time.

Well, everyone, I hope that these Q&As helped answer some of your thoughts. Like I said, I will make posts like this periodically so if you have questions just message us and we will try to answer you and possibly get your question up here next time. Hope you have a great day!

048 Is This Real Life?

Here we are nearing the end of gastric sleeve post-op week three. I can't believe that it has already been three weeks since Jimmy's surgery. Most of what I am having trouble believing are the numbers. Let me explain.

At this point, Jimmy and I have noticed small physical changes, but we are seeing astronomical changes in the number on the scale! I mean come on 73 lbs! It just blows your mind. In some ways it just doesn't seem real!

I believe that part of the unbelief is that we haven't see radical changes in his physical appearance yet. Some of the changes that I am sure are happening I know that I probably have missed seeing because I see Jimmy every day. There have been other people who have said how good Jimmy looks and that he looks SO MUCH thinner but I am only seeing small changes right now.

It's funny and I am chuckling to myself even as I write this but I am probably going to wake up some day and wonder what the fairy godmother did to my husband. He will "magically" turn from one thing to another "overnight" and I will be totally amazed! I know that I am going to see some pretty amazing and radical stuff--especially over the next year--I just haven't noticed it yet.

Jimmy and I are just asking, "Is this real life?"

Hope this post made you smile.

047 A New Way to Celebrate

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JIMMY!

That's right. It's my hubby's birthday! Yes, we have back to back birthdays but he got his much earlier than I got mine ;)

Alright, I was dropping hints before but now I am going to tell you...We have to change the way we celebrate. As hard as it is to change your daily routines I was anticipating it being even harder to change our special occasions.

Special occasions invite excuses not to change like "It only happens once a year" or "But it's my birthday!" It is all to easy to rationalize your conviction away. We decided that no matter what we really had to take this serious. If we compromise just two and half weeks after surgery then we will be compromising for the rest of our lives and we will never see the full benefit of Jimmy having gastric sleeve weight loss surgery.

So here's the deal...

In the past we have combined the celebrations of our birthdays to have a two day Jimmy and Christiana Fest so that we both get twice the benefits. On one day we would usually go and DO something fun and on the other we would EAT somewhere and go all out on it. We don't normally exchange gifts or anything like that so we have more money to eat and do whatever we feel like that year.

So what to do...

We decided that we would still have two days worth of Jimmy and Christiana birthday fun but we have to do a few things differently. In the future we might still be able to go out to eat as a part of the celebration (not an option this year with Jimmy on his Stage 2 Diet) but it can no longer be the whole focus of that day of celebrating. It's time for new traditions to go with our new lifestyle! (I will probably write about how this will change our Christmas traditions when we get closer to that time too)

So here's the plan...

For one day of the celebration we are getting together with some of our friends to have a game night! It's going to be fun. We are sharing our days with people we really care about and we're going to have some good, healthy competition to go with it ;) Love it! Maybe I am too competitive...nah! Day two, we are going to go to the movies (sans popcorn) in North KC and then we are going to walk around the shopping center and see what we can see. Of course the walking may be short this year because Jimmy still wears out pretty easy but his stamina is increasing with his ability to increase his protein shake so next year we will be able to walk around and enjoy each other's company much, much longer.

That's our story and we're sticking to it!

TO JIMMY:
Happy Birthday, Baby! I love you and I am thankful for you everyday (even when you drive me crazy!). I hope you have an amazing birthday this year and for many more years to come.

046 A Day in the Life of Jimmy's Recovery

Happy Birthday! Oh wait it's not YOUR birthday. It's MY BIRTHDAY (Christiana). Yep that's right. I'm getting older. Tomorrow is Jimmy's birthday so please feel free to drop him some special lines of encouragement because we won't be eating cake, ice cream, or going out to eat--you know all those old celebration habits. So he really might be in for a hard two days. Later I will be writing about the new ways we chose to celebrate our birthdays because we need to start making new celebration traditions/habits. But more on that later...

Today I wanted to give you an idea of what it is like to be Jimmy right now. As he gets better things will change--including his routine--but some things are now a permanent part of his life like taking vitamins. So here it is, a day in the life of Jimmy's recovery.

8:00 - 9:00 a.m.      Get up and take pain medicine to help with the tenderness in the incisions and Prilosec to help with the temporarily increased heartburn and other daily medications

9:30 a.m.      Start protein intake (have to consume a minimum of 40g a day but the nutritionist would really like me to get in 60-80g) usually through protein shakes

10:00 a.m.      Take first multi-vitamin with iron

10:30 a.m.      Snack time - Possibly pudding, yogurt, or a scrambled egg with cheese

11:00 a.m.     Take first calcium pill -- must be separated from iron pill for maximum absorption and intake more protein 11:30 a.m. Get up and walk around for exercise

12:00 p.m.      Take second multi-vitamin with iron

12:30 p.m.      Christiana comes home and we have lunch together. Possibly oatmeal with peanut butter or a scrambled egg with cheese

1:30 p.m.     Christiana heads back to work. Get up and walk around for exercise

2:00 p.m.     Take second calcium pill. Plus more protein

2:30 p.m.     Snack time

3:00 p.m.     Up and walking. Take B Complex vitamin

3:30 p.m.     More protein

6:00 p.m.     Christiana comes home and fixes dinner

7:00 p.m.     Take second dose of Prilosec for heartburn and other daily medications

8:00 p.m.     Up and walking

11:00 p.m.     Trying to get to bed but having trouble sleeping

These things are all approximate and subject to change. But I wanted to give you a basic idea of what he is going through and doing every day. I will try to actually get Jimmy on here to answer any questions that you have about his routine since he knows better than I do what he does all day. :)

045 Post-Op Week Two Update!

Good Morning! Good Morning to you! As those of you who follow us on Facebook already know, Friday was the two week anniversary of Jimmy's gastric sleeve WLS! It is so unreal that it has only been two weeks because it feels like forever (and then sometimes like no time at all--go figure)!

Anyway, to celebrate this momentous occasion I took Jimmy in to the weight loss center to weigh. He lost another 21 lbs since he weighed last Wednesday! That's a total of 73 lbs lost since Nov. 2nd, 2012!

I will let him fill you in on the rest as he has recorded a Post-Op Week 2 Update VLOG for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!