Holy Shart, Batman!

So, you're walking around, minding your own business, doing your thing. 

Suddenly you feel a bubbling in your tummy and slight pressure you know where. 

So you look around to see if anyone's around watching 

(you wouldn't want to embarrass anyone, lest of all yourself) 

and decide to let 'er rip. 

Then you realize something. Something horrifying. 

That gas you just passed . . . wasn't gas! 

There goes not embarrassing anyone!

If you understand what just happened there, congratulations, 

you're now an official memeber of the Shart Club! 

If you have no clue what a shart is, then you haven't experienced one. 

Trust me when I say they're not fun.

The thing is, this phenomenon is a part of the life of a person that has had WLS. 

That goes for by-pass, lab-band, sleeve, duodenal switch . . . 

EVERYONE goes through it at some point in time or another. 

The lucky ones know what's coming and make it to the restroom in time. 

But the rest of us

. . . yeeeeaaah . . .

So how many times has this happened to me? 

Um . . . Never . . . Yeah, that's it. 

I've NEVER had THAT problem 

*crossing fingers behind my back whistling a jaunty tune* . . .

The More I Learn, The Less I Know . . .

Let's face it, eating healthy is not easy in today's society. In fact, it's darn near impossible. Food - and large quantities of it - are thrown at us from every direction. It's everywhere. On TV, in magazines, on the radio, on billboards - and it's not going to get better. We have to make the choice to stick with one diet plan for a longer length of time then five or ten minutes. This includes saying no to all of those food fests shoved in our faces.  Sabotage can come from anywhere, but the key is ourselves.

When I made the choice to have surgery, it was so that I could change my lifestyle for the better. To be honest, I didn't have the will or the strength to say no to what others threw at me. I knew more about nutrition than your average fat girl, but I ignored everything I knew for five minutes of pleasure. The surgery gave me the will to get through that. It made it so that, essentially, I HAVE to say no. I couldn't eat a cheeseburger if I wanted to!

It makes me sad when I see people "give up" on their lifestyles and give in to temptation. And then they justify it. "I barely ate anything today, so this is within my calorie count" or "Oh, I haven't had this is so long, one's not going to hurt . . ." And then the cycle begins again.

To be honest, bad food is bad food and your body is going to react to it in a bad way. Something one of my favorite chefs, George Stella said really hit home with me: "Starving yourself all day so that you can order a pizza and still stay below your daily carb limit isn't going to work for you in the long run. A small chocolate candy may have the same amount of carbohydrates as a cup of broccoli, but these foods are so fundamentally different that it makes counting them seem inane." (George Stella's Good Carb Family Cookbook, 15) I can't tell you how I nodded my head in agreement and had to share this passage with my husband. It's one of the cycles I threw myself into - "Oh, I'm under my points today, I can have a snickers bar!" or "Hmm . . . If I eat only carrots today I can have fried chicken tonight!" No WONDER at best I was maintaining at 285!

I am finding that the more I learn, the less I actually know. Low carb, for example, does not always result in ketosis if you're eating the RIGHT carbs (fruit, veggies, whole grains). But the key is IN MODERATION. Low calorie doesn't mean nothing but lettuce and carrots all day long. Meat is essential in a low calorie diet because of the amount of protein it contains. And justification is justification no matter how you look at it.

So, here's to the end of my cycle. I am so glad it's finally broken.

Tomorrow is my 6 week appointment with Dr. Veninga. I am so excited for him to see where I'm at right now, and to get some of my burning questions answered. My prayer is to this week be released for more vigorous exercise and do be able to finally get in some AB WORK!!

PS School has started today for the kids so look for more frequent posting! And don't forget to visit my weekly VLOG on YouTube. Post comments, ask questions, and don't forget to like and subscribe to my feed!

Progress - and LOTS of it! And . . . What's the deal with Carbs??

It's amazing the changes one is forced to go through after life-changing surgery.

For one, my attitude and outlook on life has changed dramatically. I no longer dread getting up in the morning. I no longer dread exercise. I no longer let depression rule me and fuel my desire to eat.

I had the vertical sleeve gastrectomy surgery on July 11 of this year. Since then, I have lost a total (as of this morning) of 30 lbs. I have gone (so far) from a size 26 to a size 22 (!!!). I am officially thinner than I was when I met my husband!! I have yet to try on my wedding dress - although I think that's going to be fun.

I no longer am able to turn to food when I am depressed or upset, so I have found other outlets for that. Crafting is coming back into my life, for one thing. Interestingly enough, I'm also starting to develop recipes specifically for sleeve patients. Our issues are different than other WLS issues. There are some similarities, but several differences as well. For example, lap-band patients have problems with many foods whereas most sleeve patients can pretty well eat what they like (within reason). So, be on the lookout for future recipes!

This week is the pivotal 6 week mark. This week I get to start a regular diet. Next week I go in for my 6 week follow up, and I have a ton of questions for my doctor. For one thing, I'm confused on carbs. Being on a couple of online forums and a facebook group, I'm noticing that every doctor and nutritionist are different on their guidelines. AND some doctors and their nutritionists have differing opinions! Some say low carb, some say no carb, some say don't worry about counting carbs. So you can see where the confusion comes in.

Something else to wonder about is protein - HOW is one supposed to get protein without resorting to protein supplements and powders? The problem for me is, I can't drink them. They're WAY too sweet. I have yet to find one that I like. And I'm supposed to be getting 60-80 grams of protein a day (!!!). I can't seem to eat enough food at a time to get to that point. So, I'll have to ask my doctor about all of that as well.

One thing that I've been asked about is complications. I haven't had any real complications thus far - no leaks, no gall bladder issues, etc. I HAVE had really bad heartburn (I take an OTC medicine for it) and I've thrown up once or twice (my own fault!). But otherwise, nothing major. As long as I take my vitamins, I'm usually good energy wise, so that's not an issue either.

Now for the good.
I need some new clothes already. Not a whole lot - just a few things for church and going out. My shirts are all falling off of me and I need new bras. My husband told me one night as we were snuggling in bed that I felt smaller to him.

Speaking of my husband, he's been dieting along with me and has ALSO lost around 30 lbs! I am so proud of the two of us doing this for our health.

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