Well let's start off by me saying that I made a lot of changes in the YEAR before surgery. I cut out fast food and soda. Then I moved onto portion control. Then I moved onto lowering my sugar intake and my carb intake. I then began to really look at the servings and measure out a serving. And after doing that my sugar numbers were still not coming down and I was not losing much weight. THEN I decided the surgery was my only way to help me become healthy. And it was the best decision I have ever made! But here is a run down of some things.
*First off..... I do not eat any fake shit. I don't do margarine, artificial sweeteners, etc. I use real freaking butter, real sugar and real cream. I do not use low fat anything.
*I do not have any carbonated beverages
*I do not drink with my meals and wait at least a half an hour after eating to drink.
*I do not eat anything with more than 5-10 grams of sugar (I like to stay around 7g)
*I keep my carbs under 80g a day.
*I make sure my portions are smaller than my fist.
*My protein intake is 60-80 grams a day
*I make sure I am only have ONE serving of something when I eat
*I make sure my body is getting some sort of fuel every 2-3 hours
Typical Day
Breakfast: any one of these
scrambled egg
Protein shake
Belvita crackers
Oatmeal
Protein bar (watch sugar and carb content)
Refrained beans, fried egg and dab of sour cream with shredded cheese
Lunch: any one of these
Cucumbers and Tomatoes with shredded cheese
Rolled up salami, ham or turkey with provolone
Half slice of wheat bread with peanut butter
Cottage cheese with pineapple
Protein shake
Dinner:
I eat dinner with my family and eat what they eat.
I just have a very small portion
Some of the things we eat are:
Pork chops and veggies
Chicken and veggies
American Chop Suey
Fish (salmon or cod) with veggies
Chili
Soups
You get the idea ...usual family dinner food. I usually grill my meats all year around. I steam my veggies.
Snacks: 3X a day mid-morning, mid-afternoon and before bed
I ALWAYS have a HIGH packed protein shake as my snack before sleeping for any length of time (longer than four hours)
Protein shake
Protein bar
Peanut butter crackers
Belvita crackers
Banana
I am not as diligent as I would like to be about my water intake. And I do drink coffee with cream and sugar. I have about 12oz of coffee a day ...full caffeine not decaf... I mean, damn what's the point of that. I also do not deny myself anything. I apparently have a very "un-fussy" pouch. I know some will think this is a slippery slope indeed and I am not going to get into whether it is or it isn't. This is what works for ME. Everyone is different. Do what your nutritionist says. Do what your doctor says. Do what your pouch is telling you
I am fortunate enough where as soon as something hits the inside of my mouth ... I know whether it is going to spell doom for me or not. I have NOT dumped but have gotten terrible gas and upset belly for a half and hour or so. A time or two spent some time in the bathroom having the poops. Hey ... People do want to know these things! Lol! So when I eat something and I get that feeling ...guess what? I stop eating it. Tuna is a no-no. Cereal is a no-no. And a few other things here and there.
What I guess it comes down to is that we are all going to be different from this surgery and all our journeys are going to be different. I have lost 120lbs since February of THIS year. I now weigh what I did when I was 18 years old. I am the smallest pant size I have ever, ever been. I went from a size 24-24 to fitting into a sz. 10! I am pretty much at a stand still as far as my weight is concerned at 158. And I am happy with that. I do NOT obsess over the scale or the number. I go by how my clothes fit and how I feel and look. Last year at this time I was 278. I feel good. I am sleeping better (no CPAP!), my diabetes is GONE! This is all the proof I need to know whatever I am doing is working for ME.
As far as exercise ....ugh! That's another story. I feel like of course, I should be exercising and need to be exercising. But I just don't. I absolutely HATE it. And I feel so much pressure from the weight loss community and society in general about this. As if I don't go to the gym or get my ass out running every day I will not be successful on this journey. I am an active person and always have been. I just move faster now because I have less to lug around. Do I think I need to exercise ...sure. I am not as strong as I used to be. That's the only thing that bothers me. Do I think I need to spend all of my free time sweating my ass of in the gym to get stronger ...no. No one is going to MAKE me do it. I have to be ready to do it. But I am sick of the pressure of people in general saying you HAVE to get out there and do it or long term success is not possible.
I just have to do what is right for me. Right now I am doing it. I am healthy and that is all that matters.
Thanks for stopping by and reading!
Love and peace to you all!
-T
Why am I sticking my belly out here lol!
A great recent before and after!
I was beautiful and active before ...I just wasn't as healthy as I am now!
