Five Weeks Post-Op

I Need a Change Weight: 321

Surgery Weight: 307.5

Current Weight: 281.4

Goal Weight: TBD, but definitely under 200. I think 180 is attainable, hopefully even 160. I doubt anything less is realistic, but I wouldn't be upset with 150. 

Five weeks to the day following my surgery, I have lost a total of 26.1 pounds! The majority of it was lost in the first two weeks. I lost about 20 pounds during that frame. Week 3 sucked. The scale went up and down and pissed me off as I floundered around in the "Week 3 stall," which I didn't know was even a thing... but it is, and I stuck to the program and moved past it.  

 

Week 4 started to improve. Week 5 I seem to be hitting my stride! I lost 2.5 pounds this week! I feel like I'm getting the hang of portions, protein, and hydration. Once I read that lipolysis depends on water and that broken down fat is either peed out or breathed out, I made sure to not skimp on my water intake and even boost it up more when possible. 

We had some unseasonably cool and rainy days in June. I needed a jacket and tried for this one that I hadn't worn in maybe two years. It fit, zipped, and even had a little wiggle room leftover!

 

These tiny cups of tuna have been pretty helpful. They're just over 2 oz so it's not a lot of volume, but I don't need much volume anymore. They also have 20g or more protein in them. That really helps me meet my protein goal. I have tried the Sun Dried Tomato flavor and the Lemon & Thyme. Both were pretty good. Maybe I'll try the Thai Chili today. I was impressed with how the spork was molded and folded into the lid design. That's a little engineering genius, in my opinion. 

I really liked these Powerful yogurt drinks before surgery and am thankful that I still really enjoy them! My tastes have changed a bit and some of the protein drinks I enjoyed before surgery seem gross to me now. I keep a couple on hand so that when I feel like having a treat, I can have something delicious that's also got 20g of protein! It does contain a bit of real sugar, but I've found lately that I don't seem to tolerate the fake sugars all that well. I can't handle the Propel or Gatorade Zero. They either make me hungry or have loose stools. So far, sugar-free Jell-o and popsicles aren't bad, but that may be because they're smaller doses anyway. (PS, like my purple and green manicure I gave myself? My husband asked if I was running away with the Joker, lol). 

I used to be able to eat plain Greek yogurt by itself and tolerate the tang... but not so much now. However it does make a great little egg salad! I'm proud that I created my own little egg salad recipe and have found myself craving it some days. I combine 3 boiled eggs with 1/3 of the individual yogurt container, chives, salt and pepper in a food processor and whip it good. :) It makes about 1 cup, and I eat 1/2 a cup in a ramekin or small bowl and refrigerate the rest. One container of yogurt and 9 boiled eggs makes about 6 servings. The chives make it so good, it's like eating sour cream and onion! 

Lately I've been eating off of paper plates, but because the ramekins do so well for the egg salad, I thought it would be a good idea to have some small plates and bowls for myself, too. I bought these appetizer plates and snack bowls by Fiddle & Fern on sale at Belk. They came in sets of four. My hand is in the picture for size comparison. 

After all those raggedy before and after pics, I figured I should share a nice one. :) I rarely ever wear makeup... so when I do I take a picture 'cuz it lasts longer! Working from home has really made this process so much easier for me because I have more time in my day to walk and do things like make egg salad. I'm not really looking forward to returning to the office next week and losing that time and mental freedom. :(