My Progress!

Monday, July 12, 2010

Oh...Emm...Gee Ya'll...

Ok, the good news is that i haven't thrown up today. I took some phenergan as soon as i rolled out of bed though. I have one tablet left and I'm hoping the doc can get a new rx called in tonight so Erik can pick it up on his way home from work.

I had a protein shake for breakfast and am finishing up one for lunch as I type this so here's hoping I can start putting some more fuel back in my tank.

I foolishly tried to go work out today. I did 30 minutes in the pool (I was doing an hour) and EVERYTHING was SO difficult! Even walking from the parking lot to the gym was harder than it has ever been for me, but I know it has more to do with the lack of protein I'm ingesting than muscle strength. At least I hope I haven't lost that much muscle mass in the few weeks since the surgery.

For those of you who have expressed concern about me doctoring up the chicken broth, I wanted to explain myself a bit more. When I made the egg drop soup, I was trying to up the protein content of the broth more than anything else because I realized that I needed to get as much protein in at one time. Because the eggs are drizzled in, they are "stringy" (for lack of a better term) and don't really do much to bulk up the broth. The green onions were more for flavor and were very minimal and I strained most of them out of my broth (using a spoon to fish them out). I didn't use much cornstarch to thicken it so the broth was still pretty much as it was straight out of the can. I understand and appreciate your concern, but i am not going to do anything stupid like try to start mushie foods before i have clearance from the doctor. I don't want to develop a leak anymore than you guys want me too. I am done with surgery for a while!

Presently, my main goal is to try to get at least 75g of protein in a day. Not only will this help me heal faster, but it will also make me feel better and give me the strength I need to get back to the gym on a regular basis. I'll get there :) I am guessing the fact that I wasn't in the best of shape prior to the surgery has also impacted how I've recovered thus far. It hasn't been horrible, but it hasn't been as good as most other patients I've talked to or met on VSG forums.

Some more good news is that this morning I am at 397.8 so I'm now about 20 lbs down from my surgery two weeks ago :) I'm extremely happy with that, but am a bit worried that some of that is actually muscle loss and not so much fat loss due to the protein intake. I know I'm definitely losing fat though. When I put on my swimsuit today, it almost felt too big! I couldn't believe the difference! My next mini goal is 375...curious how long it might take me to get there as I know most people stall for a while around the three week post op mark. I'm mentally trying to prepare myself for the stall. Hopefully I'll be feeling better by then and can get back into the gym more which should help break it.

Alrighty, I am going to take my exhausted bum to bed for a bit. I don't think I need to sleep, maybe just read a bit. I'm currently reading "The Help" and am really enjoying it. Anyone else read it?

7 Comments:

F. McButter Pants said...

Sounds like your doing great. don't over do it. You'll get to know what you can and can't do.

I loved The Help. I listened to the audiobook. It was performed very well. It's like a performace anyway.

Enjoy

Valerie Roberson said...

So glad to hear you are doing (relatively) well. Good luck on the protein!

Veronica said...

I'm new to your blog but I wanted to tell you that I'm excited for you and the changes that are happening and to come. I've read The Help and loved it! Very good book.

Anonymous said...

hey hope your feeling lots better time to take a min. and let us know how your doing. read you everyday and excited for you .

Dominique said...

Keep the faith! Sounds like you're doing so well! I enjoyed Erik sharing the adventure from his perspective as well. Thanks!

Karen Butler Ogle said...

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mandatorybloghere said...

hope you are feeling better