Six Months

I often experience this phenomenon when I am on the cusp on awakedness (is that a word?) where I hear a loud sound which wakes me up. The sound is in my head, remnants of dreams, I suppose, maybe a train whistle or someone calling my name. This morning it was a beep. The first time I heard it, I didn't think anything of it. I assumed it was just a dream. The second time I heard it, I thought "did I just hear that for real?". The third time, I got up. It was 5:43 in the morning. It was my !@#$-ing smoke detector beeping! Not happy. Why does this shit happen when I'm trying to be lost in unconsciousness? Why does this not happen at 2 in the afternoon. Anyway, I had to throw some clothes on and go to Kroger. While I was there, I decided to pick up a few things that I had been meaning to pick up anyway. One of those things was a loaf of Nature's Own Double Fiber Wheat Bread. A guy at work was telling me about it. It has 10 grams of carbs, 5 of which are fiber AND 4 grams of protein per slice. Sounds pretty damn good to me. I also picked up some low carb ice cream bars that I had been wanting to try, among other things. Anyway, I got home, put the new battery in and went to back to bed. Couple of hours later, I made myself a sandwich w/ bacon, egg and cheese on a toasted slice of the bread. Delicious and filling. I dig it so far. We'll see if it wreaks havoc on my system or not.

I am finding that I can have a little more carbs than I initially thought, maybe around 50 grams per day. I have been eating maybe one or two La Tortilla small tortillas every other day or so for awhile. It's good because it keeps things moving. What I absolutely can not have is sugar. God no. It just does not work for me which kinda sucks because I do have a sweet tooth. Once, I tried some sugar-free gummy bears, boy was that a mistake. The gas it produced was horrific. I seriously thought my insides were going to explode, I was tempted to run to the emergency room, it was so bad. Right now, I am finding that Crystal Light does the trick usually when I am yearning for something sweet, but I really try hard not to eat too many things with sugar in them.

Today I weighed in at 383.8 lbs. That's down almost 133 lbs. Wow. I can't believe it's been 1/2 a year. I often think things aren't moving fast enough, but when have I ever lost 130+ lbs in a 6 months! In fact, I don't think I've ever lost over 50-60 lbs at a time. Hell, I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact I will never be 400 lbs again.

My life has changed in so many ways since last August. I certainly feel more in the world, if that makes sense. I am finding that I can physically do more things that I couldn't before, like cross my legs, stand on my tip-toes for more than a second, stuff like that. The fact that I actually went shopping in a store should speak volumes. Mind you, all this has not been easy. I hope that people out there who are considering weight loss surgery, the duodenal switch in particular, realize how much work it is to be healthy. It's not all roses and peaches.

Knowledge is power. I've mentioned before how immediately after getting back home from surgery, I was not entirely prepared to handle it. I was so, so very focused on getting the surgery, surviving it and getting home in one piece, I honestly hadn't done my due diligence as far as post-op life was concerned and I suffered for it, but I can honestly say I've worked hard at learning as much as I can, even today. I'm not perfect, by no means, anyone who reads this blog can attest to that, but perfect was never a goal. I am trying to do the best I can and not f-up too bad. I'm still a newbie and have a lot to learn. I just feel lucky there are so many wonderful post-ops out there who are willing to share their stories.

Anyway, I am getting out of the house today. Gonna go see about getting myself a camera! Woo-hoo!