26 Weeks Post-Op VSG Update - Losing

Today is 26 weeks post op. I weighed myself a couple times to make sure it was true, but i'm down 73.4 pounds! This week had a total loss of 5.2 pounds. This is the most I have lost in a week in a LONG LONG time. I haven't been doing anything differently, so I'm not sure what changed. I haven't been to the gym in over three weeks because of my gallbladder surgery. I have been eating chicken noodle soup everyday for lunch at work, so maybe that's what did it? I still have my Premier Protein shake every morning for breakfast. I drink it on my drive in to work but I never finish it so when I get to work, I will either drink the rest, or mix the rest with coffee. I've never liked coffee, but I have been enjoying coffee with my shake.

This weekend is Christmas, so I have Christmas Eve with my husbands aunt and cousin, then Christmas Day with his parents in the morning and his family friends in the afternoon. Then Monday-Wednesday, my brother in laws and their families are coming to town so we will have Christmas with them! Then I will be at work for one day, Thursday, then we are off Friday-Monday for New Years! 2017, here I come!

25 Weeks Post-OP - Surgery Recovery.. again

My surgery went well, I'm in recovery mode again, which feels pretty similar to VSG recovery except I took time off work this time. After VSG, I went to work the day after the hospital (I was in the hospital for 4 days), this time, I was in the hospital for like 6 hours total. I have three new incisions because they reused one of the previous incisions. The glue is taking a while to come off, and I have some gnarly bruises from where they tried to put the IV. This week (I believe) I am down 67.2 pounds, which is a 1.6 pound loss for the week. I wish it was more. I found myself craving chips so I caved and got a bag of original, lo-fat, baked lays. They're pretty delicious. Christmas is coming up and one of the parties we're going to is asking me to bake my brownies (they all LOVE them, but they're just funfetti)... this is going to be really tough. It was going to be hard because of the VSG restrictions, but being 6 months out at Christmas wont be too too bad, but now after gallbladder removal, I need to be careful with fat.  

24 Week post-Op - Another Surgery

Today I have just been hanging out at home since I had surgery yesterday. The pain from gas was a lot worse than with VSG. I got to the hospital at 11am, they took me into a prep room at 11:15am, then they said okay lets go right away, and I got pulled into surgery fast. I was struggling with anxiety while they were trying to get the IV in and my veins got really small so they couldn't get it in the first two tries. They finally got it in my bicep, weird spot. I went into surgery and was out and awake by 2:45pm. I went t my room and my mom and husband were there and I had to pee, eat and take my last pill before they cut me off meds. I went home at about 5:30pm. I got home and went straight to bed. I was in so much pain. 

This morning I got up and worked all day. I had a hard time sitting straight in my computer chair, but I was busy so it took my mind off it. I was in pain so I finally went back to bed to heal more at like 3pm. I skipped one round of meds because I was so busy working. When my husband got home (I can't stretch to reach the microwave right now), I was able to have some chicken noodle soup for dinner. 

I'm going to try an egg tomorrow. It's a struggle because all the foods online are foods I can't have with VSG like bread, rice and pasta. 

ER Gallbladder?!

So at the ER, they told me it was gallstones and to see my surgeon the following day. So the next say I called and couldn't get an appointment so I went in Thursday and Dr. felt around and said, "okay, lets get it out. I was confused. He said "what time works tomorrow". Um no time! My work Christmas party is the next day so I literally didn't want to. I asked if we can do it Wednesday December 7th but he said he'd feel better if we did it Monday the 5th. So it's scheduled. Monday. I need to shower with the same soap as for VSG. I'm going to work from home Tuesday, Wednesday and probably Thursday too so that's nice that that's an option. I am very nervous that I won't lost weight after the surgery...

5 Months Post Op - Gallstones

I'm a couple days late on this post but I'm 5 months post op. I am 66.2 pounds down. I actually was just in the ER yesterday because of really bad chest pains. I had lot of blood work, a few EKGs, a CAT scan and an ultrasound and good news is that it's not a blood clot but the bad news is that I have gallstones. I have an appointment tomorrow morning with my surgeon to make sure everything is okay and that I don't need surgery.

21 Week Post-Op VSG Update

This past week was a pretty boring week. Nothing much happened. I lost 2.8 pounds this week, which is the most I've lost in a week in a LONG time. I am down 62.8 total since surgery. I have been eating well. I also made a rule for myself that I will only go to the gym if I hit 600 calories for the day. I feel like I am not doing my body any good if I don't eat enough calories and then go to the gym. I got the newest PowerBeats wireless headphones for my birthday and I LOVE them. They are so nice to have especially since my iPhone 7 plus doesn't have a standard headphone jack.

20 Month Post-Op Update - CUBS, NEW NUT, BIRTHDAY, ELECTION

Today is 20 months post op and I hit 60 pounds down. Last week, Wednesday, November 2nd, the Chicago Cubs won the World Series! It was a crazy and exciting week to be a Chicagoan. Earlier, before the game started, I went to meet my new nutritionist/dietitian. She's super nice, but she doesn't meet with patients post-op. This particular group/team only sees people before surgery, and 30 and 60 days after. She had a lot of questions she needed to get answered later, like my questions about the patch vitamins. I asked her about carbs because my team doesn't allow pasta, rice or bread. The new one told me I can have whatever I want but in moderation. I didn't leave feeling super confident. The next day at work, we were allowed to be late because the Cubs game went late. People made treats and brought candy in (Baby Ruths). Someone made adorable cupcakes so I had one. I'm pretty sure I experienced dumping syndrome. I will leave the deets for another time...

Yesterday, Sunday 11/6, was my 25th birthday. My husband surprised me and took me to a casino, dinner and bars. We went to the Casino and didn't do as well as planned. Then we went to McCormick and Schmick's where the hubby surprised me with his cousin joining us!  I had a lobster mashed potatoes, it was alright, not the best though. Then we all went to a few bars an basically drank my weight in Jeremiah Sweet Tea Vodka and Lemonade. Good think we got a hotel! The next morning, we woke up and went to breakfast, I had eggs and a quarter of a bagel with cream cheese. I know, bad. Later that night, we went to dinner with my parents and in-laws for my birthday. We went to Outback Steakhouse. I had mushroom chicken and mashed potatoes. I took most of it home. I had the mashed potatoes and a couple bites of chicken for lunch at work today and will have some more chicken at home for dinner.

Tomorrow is Election Day. So either world will be shitty, or more shitty.

Overall, 60 pounds lost. I'm okay with it, I ate like crap. Maybe this will teach me to not eat like this anymore. But I really want a bagel. I feel like I'm always hungry, which is a problem because I can't eat all day at my desk because my stomach makes the more horrible noises.

4 MONTH POST-OP UPDATE

Today is my 4 month surgiversary. I am officially down 57.2lbs. In the last month I lost 10.6lbs. My measurements will be on my YouTube channel. This was a rather hard month for losing weight. I was out of town in Nashville, I was in DC, and I have been sick for about two weeks. I haven’t been to the gym I over 2 weeks so I’m feeling kind of crappy. My birthday is soon so that’s cool. The Cubs are in the World Series so there have been a lot of treats brought into work and a bit of wine too. Then Halloween is Monday too, so there’s candy all over my house. I haven’t had any! I went to a Hocus Pocus party and my friend made smores books. They are graham crackers with fluff in the middle on a stick and melt chocolate over it so it’s like a chocolate square popsicle. I had a bite but it was very sweet. Overall, I’m not thrilled about only 10.6lbs this month. I am seeing a new nutritionist at a totally different office soon so hopefully she will help me lose more faster!

16 Week Post-Op VSG Update - NASHVILLE BABY

This is my 16 week post op update. I was in Nashville this past weekend. I ate a bunch of crap I shouldn’t have. On Thursday, we went to Rippy’s and I had a grilled chicken wrap and a few curly fries (to DIE for curly fries). Friday at Puckett’s, I had some eggs with cheese, ham, insides of fried chicken for breakfast. For lunch at a Blues bar in Printer’s Alley, we had fried pickles. I don’t remember what was for dinner. Saturday, we went to Another Broken Egg for breakfast and I had some country potatoes with an egg, feta, mushroom, and bacon scrambler (prob a million calories). For dinner we went to Margaritaville and I had a few of my husband’s nachos and then ¼ of a chicken and cheese quesadilla. Oh, and every evening I drank my body weight in vodka lemonades. Typing it out, doesn't sound too horrible, but it was pretty bad. I felt full every day and tried to keep doing because it was so good. 

Overall,I gained a pound this weekend. I’m not okay with it. I also anticipate not losing much this week because I will be laying on the couch after work because I’m sick. I might have strep, but I don’t think so. So total, i'm down 54.2 pounds. 

3 Months Post-Op Update - gained again

It's three months today and I gained. I am not down 46.6 pounds from pre-op. I'm down 7" for the past month and only 8.6 pounds in a month. I know it's because I have been going to the gym and not eating enough calories. I'm only getting in about 400 calories. I need help with food ideas that are low carb, low fat, high protein that has calories. 

I went to my general doctor today to talk about my anxiety meds. He put me on celexa from sertraline and Valium instead of xanax for panic attacks.

Here's a picture from day of surgery and today- three months post-op.  

 

13 Weeks Po-Op VSG - Gained 3lbs

Today is 13 weeks post op. I haven’t been doing very well because I have been gaining instead of losing. Earlier in the week, I was down 49.8 since surgery. Now I’m down 46.8 since surgery. That’s three pounds gained. I haven’t been doing anything differently. I haven’t been eating any better or worse, I haven’t been going to the gym any less. In fact, I went two times more. I am going to yoga this week to try to get back into it. I wish it wasn’t so expensive though! I started my Instagram for this journey, so you should follow me: jen.vsg. 

Tomorrow is 3 months post op. Gaining 3 pounds is not the way I want to go into my third month. I impulsively bought an apple watch, so there's that. I was supposed to have my 3 month post op surgeon appointment tomorrow but the nutritionists is going to be out of town so it was moved to October 6th. I am getting bloodwork done tomorrow though, not sure for what because the surgeon hasn't ordered anything because I haven't seen him in a while. 

Instagram: jen.vsg

Hey everyone, I finally got a VSG instagram! It's jen.vsg

12 Weeks Post-Op - Birthday Cake

It looks like I'm in a stall. It was a rough week last week and I gained a pound and lost a couple. I am down 47.2 pounds since surgery. I didn’t go to the gym at all this past week and lost pounds. When I go to the gym, it seems like I’m not losing anything. It doesn’t make sense. I threw my husband a birthday party this past Saturday for his 30^th birthday. I made so much food. Meatballs, cheese ball, chicken, and a bunch of more stuff. I also ordered this amazing cake. It was too expensive not to taste. So I did. I ate cheese and crackers like it was going out of style. I was convinced that I gained 2 pounds from eating cake and crackers. I also had a bite of a Panera turkey sandwich at work – yes, with bread. I feel guilty, but when I see the scale go down, I feel better and I justify the fact that I ate like shit. I feel like I’m repetitive, but this is my journey.    

11 Weeks Post-Op - Gained a pound, lost confidence

Today is 11 weeks post op. I gained a pound this week. I'm not happy at all. I'm quite pissed actually. I had someone tell me I look good and like I'm losing weight for the first time since surgery. That's pretty good since I'm down 43 pounds. I don't know, I guess I thought I'd lose faster by taking all my vitamins like a good girl, eating perfectly on track, getting all my protein in and going to the gym. I guess I was wrong. 

10 Weeks Post-Op VSG - Labor Day Weekend

Today is Labor Day. It's also 10 weeks since surgery. I'm down 43.4 pounds. I spent the weekend at my in-laws lake house in Lake Geneva, WI and basically ate like shit. I made a chocolate eclair cake for a work party Friday and for the lake over the weekend. I had a bite of it Friday and Saturday. Saturday morning my mother in law made these baked ham and cheese sandwiches on Hawaiian bread so I baster insides of one and a small bite of bread because that's where all the flavor is. We went to dinner Saturday night and I had a few bites of grilled hot dog, few bites of grilled chicken, caprese salad, Caesar salad and mushrooms. Then Sunday morning my mother in law made cinnamon roll French toast casserole. Delish. I also had a small bite. We spent the day at the beach and I got so burnt. Then my husband I met up with some friends at a hot air balloon fest. We had some chicken fingers there. Then came home and had skinny pop. I literally ate like shit ALL WEEKEND. I came home and dreaded weighing. I lost 2.6 pounds Friday-Monday. I don't understand how that can be. But I'll take it. 

 

Two Month Post-Op VSG

I'm two days late only two month post op update. So I'll do my two month and two day update. I did my measurements and have lost some decent inches. I am down 39.6 pounds - so close to 40. I feel like I've been losing b wet slowly. I went to torrid in a size 22 and bought size 18 purple skinny jeans - who am I? So weird, I haven't been an 18 in so long. I hope I keep losing at this pace. According to my app, happy scale, I will hit my goal of 145lbs in 7 months. Hopefully shortly after that I can try to get pregnant! That's the goal for all of this. 

8 Weeks Post-Op - It Doesn't Fit

Today is week 8 and I'm down 37.8 pounds. I'm pretty frustrated that my clothes still fit the same. I started out as a size 22 and I am still a 22. I start a new job tomorrow and tried on a size 20 and they fit the same way as before - which is barely. I went out to dinner for my anniversary and it's a place that I used to love and clean my plate every course. An entree comes with soup, salad, veggie, meat, and side. I had a couple sips of the cream of broccoli, a few bites of salad, a piece of the chicken picante, and picked at the mashed potatoes. I brought the rest home which I've been eating every day, every meal since. 

Overall, 37.8 pounds is good, but I wish I saw it. And I wish my clothes fit. 

7 Weeks Post-Op - Wedding, Drinking

This weekend I went to a wedding and dranik for the first time since surgery. When I woke up, I took my regular meds and was so sick I was throwing up. We had to drive an hour and a half to the hotel so I ate a peach and threw three dresses in the car. When we got to the hotel I tried on my three dresses and two of them were too SMALL. I just wore them last year… and then lost almost 40 pounds. I was pissed. I ended up wearing a purple dress. It wasa cute, me and my husband matched. I will insert a picture. We had a friend take the picture and when I looked back at it, I was shocked at how decent I looked! During cocktail hour, I had a glass of wine (watered down with ice) – but I only had half of it. Then for dinner it was a buffet so I had salad, the insides of a twice baked potato and one bite of my husbands prime rib. During the rest of dinner and dancing, I had a vodka lemonade. I thought it was going to hit me fast but it didn’t hit me at all. We danced a bit then they made brick oven pizza, and I had a little bite of my husband’s. After the reception, we went back to the hotel and hung out in the bar. I had water. We also got cheese curds because Milwaukee. The day after we drove home and I weighed myself. I lost .8 pounds for a total of 36 pounds.

 

 

 

 

6 Week Post-Op FOOD HAUL

I realized that at my 6 week post-op, I'm allowed to have fresh fruits and veggies! I went to the gym (ugh, felt like crap but did it anyways) and after I went to the grocery story. I got some reduced fat cheese-itz, apples, peaches (not shown), peanuts, cherry tomatoes, lettuce to make lettuce wraps, and lite mayo for said lettuce wraps. What are other yummy snacks that I can have??

6 Week Post-Op - acne?!

Today is 6 weeks post op! I am officially down 33.6 pounds. I will do measurements at my 2 month mark. This week I have been going hard at the gym and decided to go golfing Sunday. Bad idea. I was fine for the first hole then by the third hole I was throwing up. I'm not sure why. I also didn't realize that the constant bending over would take a toll on me. I took it easy Sunday. On Saturday I went to my friends house and hung out with her and her baby. I am way too anxious to have a baby. I want one so bad. I know I have to wait. 

In other news, I have been getting pretty bad acne lately. It could be because I started birth control again but I've never had this problem when I took this birth control last time. I was thinking it could be from sweat, but I'm not sure. At this point, I'll take acne instead of the 33.6 pounds I lost. 

Here is my video.

https://youtu.be/Cx4mXXEMlNo