Congrats Eggface!!

She's hit a major milestone! 10,000 Friends on Facebook!! To celebrate she's having an AMAZING giveaway perfect for any WLS pre or post op! Head on over and enter!

Food Funeral & Shopping.

I had a mini food funeral today. I said good bye to my love for Nachos Belgrande at Taco Bell for lunch this afternoon. It was a spur of the moment thing. I know this is my last few days to indulge in some foods that I will NEVER have again. Some of the foods I like can be modified and eaten later in my post-op life but, under no circumstances do I want to go through the Taco Bell drive thru again. So now that my tummy is full of Nachos I bid them adieu. So long. Auf Weidersehen. Bye Bye

In other news, some of my purchases have arrived over the past couple of days! Yesterday I got a shipment of Torani Sugar Free Syrups. The flavors I chose are Lemon, Raspberry, Lime, Peppermint, Coffee & Peach, add those to my Vanilla & Caramel that I have already! I love my little stockpile of syrups! Great for making new flavors of protein shakes, like taking a chocolate base shake and adding coffee and vanilla for a mocha latte flavor! They are also good for mixing into plain greek yogurt, the flavored ones have so much sugar from the fruit they put in there. I plan on getting some more flavors, especially the Strawberry, Mango & Pumpkin Pie flavors! YUM!

I also go my sample servings from About Time. I blogged about them before, but they run a great deal on their samples. It's only $3.99 with FREE shipping for 2 samples and you get to pick the flavors! I could not resist something called Mocha Mint, so I ordered 4 of those, 1 Banana & 1 Peanut Butter. I really hope the taste is there because there are ZERO carbs in their powder and they are all natural. I would love to be able to use there brand. Keeping my fingers crossed, I'll let you know next week when I start my diet how they taste! 

In other news, I've been starting my treadmill work. I went today and did .77 mile in 31 mins. Burned about 200 calories. So far so good. Going to keep it gentle and slow because I do NOT want to aggravate my back. It was quite sore after today's work out. Slow & steady! Since Monday I have lost 3 of the 8lbs that I gained since my initial visit in July. Anything I can get off before the surgery is good news! I'm proud of the eating choices I've made this week, well, other than my little Taco Bell funeral. Oh well. It is what it is. 

I officially start my liquid diet on Tuesday so this weekend we are all going out together as a family, kinda my "Last Supper" if you will. A lot of weight loss surgery patients believe in the "food funeral" and others do not. Personally I feel that I'm making such a HUGE life change with this surgery for the REST OF MY LIFE that I want to leave certain foods behind me. Foods that I know are an issue for me and will cause me problems. That is why I have chosen not to do a blanket food funeral but rather a selective one. I've said my goodbyes to pizza, bagels and now nachos. Only thing left on the list now is mac & cheese. These foods while could be eaten later down the road after surgery I know that I do not want to go back to bad choices so for me there will be a strict carb limit. Notice that all the things on my little list are carbs! I've been starving the carb monster for the past 4 days and have been doing well, the headaches are the worst part. 

Last class!

Today was my last pre-op class! This was a group class, about 10 of us, with the nurses. Just the ins & outs of the liquid protein diet we have to do and pre & post operative care. It was a good class. They had a "protein bar" with different protein shakes & drinks for us to sample. It was nice, some were good, some were bad and some were REALLY bad! I got to ask all my questions and for some reason I felt very confident in the room. I kept asking questions and commenting on things when normally I am very quiet and reserved. I just think I'm so confident in my decision to do the surgery that I feel ready and that makes me more self assured. We got a goody bag with a bunch of samples and other items to help us in our weight loss post-op.

I also found out some good news today, my brother is driving all the way from Cleveland, OH to St. Louis, MO to be with me during my surgery! He said he supports me in my decision and wants to be with me when I go through it. I'm glad that I have so many people in my life that are so kind and supportive of this. I have a few people who are not thrilled with my decision to say the least and it makes it all the more important to me to have those who support me around me. You know who you are, I love you all! ♥

Hitting the gym.

So it's officially the week of my last pre-op class. My appointment is Wednesday. I am so excited! 22 days until my surgery & 7 days until my all liquid pre-op diet starts.

So after my realization the other day about the 8lbs I put on I decided to reign in my eating and start my daily exercising. I have 1 week to reign in the carb monster & get ready for my liquid diet. I have officially said goodbye to pizza & bagels, 2 of my 4 trigger foods (pizza, mac & cheese, bagels, chocolate). I plan to say goodbye to mac & cheese this week sometime and chocolate, well, that will be last, ha ha. These are 4 foods that I will not be having until I am in weight maintenance long, long in the future. They are just foods that lead me to dark places and an overstuffed stomach. Nothing good comes from them for me.

As for the exercise, since I am still somewhat limited by my back (spinal discectomy gone wrong in 2010) I have chosen to just do treadmill work until I loose a good chunk of weight and I am less restricted. Today was my first day back on and I logged in .70 mile in 28 mins. Not much by some people's standards but I got off my butt and went to the gym, that was my first victory, not to mention the 28 mins I walked on the treadmill! Score!

Decisions.

So, I'm a little ashamed to say that after I found out I was approved for my Sleeve Gastrectomy I had a very stupid idea that I needed to "Eat ALL the foods". Yeah, my twisted brain rationalized "well, I won't be able to eat, insert food item here, after the surgery so I need to eat 3 of them now". Yeah, real smart right? Call it lack of self control, call it weakness, call it overindulgence, it has to STOP. I gained 8lbs. Yes, 8 freaking pounds. Am I crazy?!? Like I need another 8lbs to carry around. So, since it's grocery shopping week anyways I decided that since I have 11 days before my all liquid diet I am going to reduce calorie intake this coming week. It will hopefully help with getting those 8lbs off. Cutting back calorie wise & junk wise should also make it an easier transition to the all liquid protein diet.

All this made me realize that I still have some issues with food in general that I need to work on. I think the best quote so far has come from Shelly aka Eggface:  

 Remember food for us was an addiction. We are recovering addicts. Weight Loss Surgery Success = working on the head as well as the body. They operate on our guts, not our heads. That is up to us!

I also ordered a few samples from AboutTime. They are recommended on the ObesityHelp forums quite often and they have a great deal on their sample packs. You get 2 flavors that you get to choose for $3.99 and free shipping. I ordered 4 Mocha Mint, 1 Banana & 1 Peanut Butter. You can order yours at ShopAboutTime

Pre-op.

Today was my pre-op testing. An EEG and some blood work, easy peasy. My next milestone is on the 26th which is my last set of classes before my surgery. I can't believe it's getting closer & closer! I am so ready for this.

While I was at the hospital I stopped at the pharmacy and perused the bariatric section they have there.  They promote Bariatric Advantage the most, but there was some Celebrate stuff there. I did pick up 2 shake samples by BA in Vanilla & Banana to try.

Taste Test.

So, I've been kinda bad today and forgot to stay on my 3 meals a day. I completely skipped lunch. I was so focused on cleaning. I've been in cleaning mode all day! So to get some protein in I reached for a bar from my little stash of samples to try. Today's winner: Pure Protein Chocolate Peanut Butter. 

Very candy bar like. It's chocolate coated and has a nougat like center. There are some crunchy bits in the nougat that are like rice krispies. The chocolate taste like real chocolate no doubt, but it melts away quickly and you are left with the actual protein "mash" inside. I wouldn't say it's very peanut buttery but it is a pleasant taste. I can tell though after about 1/2 of the bar that this particular one at least will give me some heartburn/acid reflux as I'm already getting some burning in my throat. It's definitely edible, much more palatable than say the QuestBars. It also contains some sugar alcohols, 6gms so that would be something to watch post surgery. Overall, just meh. But at least I got some protein in this afternoon! 

Pantry Raid.

Did you read the title wrong?!? Ha. Sorry, just a little joke. :P

So I've started stocking up on a few things for my liquid diet & post-op diet. I've gotten so much stuff and it's in crazy places around the house! So, today I decided to clean out our pantry and make 2 shelves "my domain".  I'm a person that likes to be prepared. I also like to shop. So behold my stock.

Breakdown:

IsoPure, Muscle Milk Light, Crystal Light, Propel, PB2, QuestBars, Pure Protein Bars, Muscle Milk Light Bars, Click Espresso Mocha Protein, Blender Bottle, Arrowhead Mills Pancake & Waffle mix, Torani Syrups & Sugar free pudding.

Some of this will come into play later down my post-op journey but most of it is for my liquid diet. I'm just so happy to have a place for all of it! This is getting real! 

Deal Alert!

So, anyone who reads The World According the Eggface knows she loves her protein ice creams! And let me tell you as an ice cream addict, the thought that I will still be able to enjoy ice cream after WLS was a HUGE surprise & thrill for me. I've been looking for a good ice cream maker for the past few weeks and came across a great deal on Overstock.com. A Cuisinart ICE-20R 1.5-quart Automatic Ice Cream/ Frozen Yogurt Maker for, wait for it...... $35.94! Yes, it is refurbished, but comes with the same warranty from Overstock as a new item and their return policy is easy & hassle free. If you are in the market for one, grab it while you can because the white version, which I bought this morning, is already out of stock! Can't wait to make some yummy protein ice cream in this baby!! 

30 days to go.

It's almost here! This week I have my pre-op testing on Thursday. This is getting real!

I've been making small changes for awhile now getting ready for my surgery. The first and what I thought would be the hardest was giving up carbonation. I've been soda free for years now but I would drink seltzer water like it was going out of style. Basically, that's ALL I would drink. The first week I cut down from 6+ cans a day to 3 a day. Then the second week I decided to give it all up. It was actually easier than I thought. I've now been carbonation free for 2 months! Propel, Crystal Light and Powerade Zero are my new friends.

The other thing I cut out was gum. Which was harder. I chewed gum ALL the time. I can't chew gum for the first 6 months after my surgery so I had to cull that habit. I still slip every now and then.

I've become more aware of my protein intake, which after surgery will be extremely important. I will need to make sure my daily protein is 64gms or more. I'm not a huge meat eater. Every once in awhile I will have some chicken, but that's about it. The good thing is there is so many other ways to get my protein that I don't have to worry about it! A few things that are going to be a big part of my protein for the day is cheese, yogurt, beans and "meat-less" meats like Morning Star Farms or Boca. My favorites are the MorningStar Farms® Chik Patties® Original 140 calories and 8gms of protein!

In preparation for my 2 week liquid protein diet I have been sampling some protein powders and drinks. This week  I tried and stocked up on some IsoPure. It's a great clear fruit protein drink similar to Gatorade or Powerade. It definitely has an aftertaste, it IS whey protein after all, but it is a GREAT alternative to all those milk based shakes & drinks that are in my near future. It comes in a bunch of great flavors and each bottle is 40gms of protein. I got a great deal at my local GNC while they were BOGO 50% off. Plus I'm a Gold Card member which saved me 15% off my order AND I had a $10 off coupon. I got an entire case for $38. Retail is $75 for a case! 

Plus they were giving away a free Quest Protein Barwith purchases so I got to try the Cinnamon Roll bar. I've heard a lot of good things about Quest bars, but I just don't think they are for me. The texture is really grainy and it tastes nothing of cinnamon roll. The best I can say is that I got a hint of cinnamon aftertaste but other than that it was just eating a sticky, grainy bar of goo. It sure does pack in a lot of protein in a small package but I'm sure there are other options out there that are more palette friendly for me. 

In the coming weeks I will start taking and posting some photos. I will be chronicling my weight loss journey visually as well by taking periodical photos and sharing them. It will mostly likely be a monthly thing. 

The start of something good.

Today is 33 days until my surgery (Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy). I've jumped all the hoops. Attended all the appointments. Dealt with the insurance. Had the proper tests. I have 2 more appointments beforehand and then it's awhile new life for me.

Step 1 is my pre-op testing. Normal blood work, EEG and other random tests.
Step 2 is my nurse/nutrition class. Learning what to do before, during and after surgery.

Included in step 2 is my 2 week liquid protein diet. My Dr. elected to have me do the full 2 weeks in an attempt to shrink my liver to make surgery easier. It also aids in pre-op weight loss, so loosing a few more pounds surely won't hurt! I think I'm more afraid of this than the actual surgery! Ha.

This is all about my future now. THIS is the start of something good........