Pete is 5 weeks post Realize Band placement.
He currently weighs 260. He's gone from a 52-54 pant to a 40-42 pant. He started out in 3X t-shirts and is down to 2X or XL depending on the shirt. His wedding suit (that he looks oh so handsome in) is getting big on him and the shirt does not fit him any longer. His wedding belt is worn out from stretching in the past and now would need new holes to make it smaller.
But he's still struggling. If ever there was a time when I realized that the band is just a *tool* it is the last week or so. The swelling from the surgery is gone and he can eat normally. He struggles with this. His temptation is not that he's eating unhealthy foods, it's that his portion sizes are getting larger and larger again. He was so disillusioned the last week that he went back to soup for lunch, jello & protein shakes for breakfast and whatever I'm eating for dinner. I think that is his comfort menu for lack of a better term. It limits him and he finds comfort in that so that he will not over eat.
His weight has gone up in the last 10 days or so. This also troubled him. He's met with a couple of trainers at the gym about TRX and kettlebells and training. Each one has told him something different. Lots of cardio to lose weight, little cardio and lots of weights, both cardio and weights on the same day... Again, his 'comfort' is running 6-10 miles a day. It's how he's gotten to the size that he is and it's what he turns to when he needs to lose. The issue is that he has lost muscle. He appears thin in his shoulders, chest and arms; wider in the belly area; thinner in the butt and legs.
Today is his first appointment with the bariatric center about his progress. Is he ready for a 'fill' of the band? Has he lost enough on his own that they don't want to tighten it? Are there other suggestions for working out for him? Where should he be at this point? These are the questions he hopes will be answered. I'll update the post after I talk to him tonight.
Post Appointment:
Pete's been saying that his tummy was still swollen and distended. However, the nurse from his last appointment never said anything. Over the last couple of weeks we'd thought that it was just where his fat was sticking while he was losing everywhere else. We were wrong. (gross alert) He had a hematoma by the port. The doctors took out about 33 cc's of blood and fluid from the area. Because of the hematoma, the port had travelled over 2 inches up. The doctors took over an hour to find the insertion part of the port. Needless to say he's pretty sore.
He ended up with a 6 cc saline fill in the band to restrict his eating and an "Atta Boy!" for his progress. Hi starting BMI was 56 and his current BMI? 28!!!
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Confessions of a multiple size horder
Multiple times in the last 2+ years I've promised my husband that I'd clean out the closet in the extra bedroom. You see, I purchased our home before he and I dated and fell in love and moved in together. In the bgeinning, the extra closet was for my craft storage, the opposite season's clothing, gift boxes and the vacuum. My husband and I have vastly different ideas of cleaning. V A S T L Y. I'm all about touching it once and figuring out a place for it. He's all about getting it out of sight. So between my idea of storage and his idea of cleaning, the closet is a endless space of, well...crap.
Since he moved in I've been promising to clean it out. And for a while it got partially cleaned. Every spring I'd take out the spring/summer clothes and put them in my closet. I'd go through the fall/winter stuff and donate anything I hadn't worn (my policy in keeping clothing amounts managable) and pack those away. I think it happened once after he moved in. By the next season, the closet was so full that I couldn't get to some of the clothes and forgot that the others were in there.
Until last week. Last week I came home and Pete was telling me that he had helped me. I cautiously asked what he meant and he told me to go look at the extra bedroom. Words fail me. Half of the clothes that were packed away now created Mount Clothes on the bed and reached almost to the ceiling in the corner. Every plastic tote that contained clothes was out in the small room and everywhere you looked was, well...crap.
So this weekend I offically cleaned out the closet. I spent a few hours going through all the clothing. In fact by the end of the day I had touched all the clothes that I own, including underthings, socks and shoes. In the end I dontaed 9 large lawn bags full of clothing, 1 of shoes and 1 of purses and belts and random things. Pete donated about 2 bags of his clothes.
I had every size from 'misses' large to 3X. I looked at those bags in the garage and realized that I had been hording old clothes. Clothes that didn't fit me, clothes that didn't look good on me and clothes that I had never worn because they were too big, too small or just plain bad. I was horrified.
This is how my closet looks now:
I didn't take pictures of my shoes, but I am down to one shoe rack and 3 pairs of boots. My sock drawer no longer overflows into the bedroom floor. My workout clothes fit into one drawer. My tanks and other clothes fit into one drawer. It's all organized.
You know what? I feel lighter. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted. I feel more free. It's not that I was wearing all those clohtes and I certainly never saw them everyday. But knowing they were there was like carrying around a bag of clothes on my back every day. It was like I was giving myself freedom to get bigger because I had clothes to fit that larger size. I can see everything that I have now and I know where it all is. The things that I have fit me nicely and look good on me. I need to bottle this feeling when I go clothes shopping and remember that I don't have to buy things just because they fit. I buy them because I feel good in them and they look good on me.
Since he moved in I've been promising to clean it out. And for a while it got partially cleaned. Every spring I'd take out the spring/summer clothes and put them in my closet. I'd go through the fall/winter stuff and donate anything I hadn't worn (my policy in keeping clothing amounts managable) and pack those away. I think it happened once after he moved in. By the next season, the closet was so full that I couldn't get to some of the clothes and forgot that the others were in there.
Until last week. Last week I came home and Pete was telling me that he had helped me. I cautiously asked what he meant and he told me to go look at the extra bedroom. Words fail me. Half of the clothes that were packed away now created Mount Clothes on the bed and reached almost to the ceiling in the corner. Every plastic tote that contained clothes was out in the small room and everywhere you looked was, well...crap.
So this weekend I offically cleaned out the closet. I spent a few hours going through all the clothing. In fact by the end of the day I had touched all the clothes that I own, including underthings, socks and shoes. In the end I dontaed 9 large lawn bags full of clothing, 1 of shoes and 1 of purses and belts and random things. Pete donated about 2 bags of his clothes.
I had every size from 'misses' large to 3X. I looked at those bags in the garage and realized that I had been hording old clothes. Clothes that didn't fit me, clothes that didn't look good on me and clothes that I had never worn because they were too big, too small or just plain bad. I was horrified.
This is how my closet looks now:
You know what? I feel lighter. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted. I feel more free. It's not that I was wearing all those clohtes and I certainly never saw them everyday. But knowing they were there was like carrying around a bag of clothes on my back every day. It was like I was giving myself freedom to get bigger because I had clothes to fit that larger size. I can see everything that I have now and I know where it all is. The things that I have fit me nicely and look good on me. I need to bottle this feeling when I go clothes shopping and remember that I don't have to buy things just because they fit. I buy them because I feel good in them and they look good on me.
Monday, April 11, 2011
I'm so vain...
...I bet you thought this post was about me....I'm so vaaaaaineeeee.
Sorry, lame attempt at music humor.
Sorry, lame attempt at music humor.
 |
| Me, sans contacts... |
So here's the thing. I realized this morning that I am vain. I've worn glasses since I was in the second grade - 9 years old. I've worn contacts since I was 12. Almost 30 years. Crap I'm old. The first thing I do in the morning is put my contacts in. The last thing I do at night is take them out. I wear them on average 16 hours a day. I've done this since I was in high school. The only time I wear my glasses is right before bed or if I'm really sick and don't want to wear my contacts.
The glasses up there are a year old. The last frames that I had were almost 15 years old. *blush* I got new lenses in them every 5 years or so, but it didn't and still doesn't make sense for me to spend a lot on glasses when I wear them for about 1 hour a day. My contacts are monthly wear' the left a regular and the right a toric.
So yesterday I got up, put my contacts in and got ready. Pete and I left to go to a benefit and while there my eye started hurting. It felt like there was something near the inner tear duct on the lower lid. I did all the things that I normally do to flush the contact and my eye while out and about. As soon as we got home I took it out and flushed my eye with saline. Multiple times. It still hurt. I went to bed and woke up about midnight and it was sealed shut with goop (technical term). I woke up this morning and as you can see, it's swollen and a bit red and sore.
I was in a quandary. Do I wear my contacts, because I see better with them? Do I swear my glasses to rest my eye? How do I get ready with glasses on? I chose the glasses (obviously) and did my best with my hair and make up. But I didn't want to leave the house and considered calling in sick. My eye hurts and it's weeping. Then I reconsidered and decided that I had to work.
But I'm vain. I don't feel as pretty with my glasses and I never have.
Thursday, April 07, 2011
13 Servings
A few months ago I heard a speaker talk about fruits and veggies. The point that resonated the most with me is that the suggested number of servings of fruits and veggies per day is 9-13.
Nine to Thirteen.
Now you're likely sitting there a little perplexed, just as I was. "No, wait!" your brain is saying. Because it's likely that you, along with I and every other American has heard that we should be getting 5-7 servings of those items daily. Want to know the truth? The government knows that we are never going to get that many servings so they pare it down to 5-7 for us. That's right. They believe that we would never ever achieve that and therefore decided to set a smaller amount that we should be shooting for.
The sad thing? Most Americans don't even get that 5-7. And when they do, it's from sources like fruit/vegetable juices and are mostly fruit versus vegetable.
Check out this article from the Virginia Co-Op Extension about servings of fruit and suggestions on how to get more.
Check out this page from the same site about vegetables.
Cooking Light has a great series on how to get more fruits and vegetables into your daily diet.
Lately I've been eating a lot of roasted vegetables. I take whatever I have and chunk it up into 2 inch by 1 inch chunks. Toss with a tiny bit of olive oil (just barely enough to coat). Place on a sheet tray that's big enough to spread all the vegetables out so they're not touching. The bake at 425 for 40-50 minutes. They get lovely brown and caramelized. The flavors intensify and t a certain extent this brings out the natural sugars and makes them "sweet". My favorites lately are brussel sprouts, parsnips, carrots, red & yellow beets, cauliflower and red onion. Although there really isn't a vegetable I don't like.
My challenge to you is this: Take a week and plan out some meals that include fruits an vegetables. Figure out a way to get at least 7 servings a day (and only 3 of those fruit, the rest vegetables). Eat a new fruit/vegetable during the week and prepare an old fruit/vegetable a new way.
Nine to Thirteen.
Now you're likely sitting there a little perplexed, just as I was. "No, wait!" your brain is saying. Because it's likely that you, along with I and every other American has heard that we should be getting 5-7 servings of those items daily. Want to know the truth? The government knows that we are never going to get that many servings so they pare it down to 5-7 for us. That's right. They believe that we would never ever achieve that and therefore decided to set a smaller amount that we should be shooting for.
The sad thing? Most Americans don't even get that 5-7. And when they do, it's from sources like fruit/vegetable juices and are mostly fruit versus vegetable.
Check out this article from the Virginia Co-Op Extension about servings of fruit and suggestions on how to get more.
Check out this page from the same site about vegetables.
Cooking Light has a great series on how to get more fruits and vegetables into your daily diet.
Lately I've been eating a lot of roasted vegetables. I take whatever I have and chunk it up into 2 inch by 1 inch chunks. Toss with a tiny bit of olive oil (just barely enough to coat). Place on a sheet tray that's big enough to spread all the vegetables out so they're not touching. The bake at 425 for 40-50 minutes. They get lovely brown and caramelized. The flavors intensify and t a certain extent this brings out the natural sugars and makes them "sweet". My favorites lately are brussel sprouts, parsnips, carrots, red & yellow beets, cauliflower and red onion. Although there really isn't a vegetable I don't like.
My challenge to you is this: Take a week and plan out some meals that include fruits an vegetables. Figure out a way to get at least 7 servings a day (and only 3 of those fruit, the rest vegetables). Eat a new fruit/vegetable during the week and prepare an old fruit/vegetable a new way.
Wednesday, April 06, 2011
Blogging For a Change
And now, we're taking a break from our usual programming. Mid Week With Pete will be back next Wednesday.
Click here for the site: Blogging For a Change
There are times that I read blogs and really wonder what the person is trying to get across. Trying to understand the message in the blog and then determining if it's something that I want to keep reading. Let's face it, any monkey with 2 hands/paws can type on a keyboard. And the net is loaded with crafting blogs, mommy blogs, family blogs, recipe blogs, diary blogs, weight-loss blogs... It's a bit overwhelming, no? So when I come across one that seems worthy of bookmarking, it's a good day.
I often times read Prior Fat Girl. Ok, I read it daily. Usually at the gym or the first break I take at work. And honestly, sometimes I go there a couple of times a day to read all the Prior Fat Girls/Guy. Jen has a message. Her message is not just about weightloss, but about the fact that everyone's weightloss is a different journey. And for that reason I bookmarked her site last year when I found it.
In the last year I've seen how Jen totally throws herself into a project. She blogs about it, she stresses about it, she works into the week hours on it. She's persistent and accomplished. So when she started hinting about something big, I started listening. And when this was launched early this week I smiled. What a perfect way to get people to not only donate, but to win something in return.
So if you have a moment or two, take a peek. Want to know the best thing? You get one free entry in each item. So you can donate for the things that you really want and enter the free entry on all of them. Or you can donate on all of them and eneter the free ones too. Or you can donate it all on the one thing that you want and then use the free ones on the other entries. Or however it best fits for you.
Won't you donate?
Click here for the site: Blogging For a Change
There are times that I read blogs and really wonder what the person is trying to get across. Trying to understand the message in the blog and then determining if it's something that I want to keep reading. Let's face it, any monkey with 2 hands/paws can type on a keyboard. And the net is loaded with crafting blogs, mommy blogs, family blogs, recipe blogs, diary blogs, weight-loss blogs... It's a bit overwhelming, no? So when I come across one that seems worthy of bookmarking, it's a good day.
I often times read Prior Fat Girl. Ok, I read it daily. Usually at the gym or the first break I take at work. And honestly, sometimes I go there a couple of times a day to read all the Prior Fat Girls/Guy. Jen has a message. Her message is not just about weightloss, but about the fact that everyone's weightloss is a different journey. And for that reason I bookmarked her site last year when I found it.
In the last year I've seen how Jen totally throws herself into a project. She blogs about it, she stresses about it, she works into the week hours on it. She's persistent and accomplished. So when she started hinting about something big, I started listening. And when this was launched early this week I smiled. What a perfect way to get people to not only donate, but to win something in return.
So if you have a moment or two, take a peek. Want to know the best thing? You get one free entry in each item. So you can donate for the things that you really want and enter the free entry on all of them. Or you can donate on all of them and eneter the free ones too. Or you can donate it all on the one thing that you want and then use the free ones on the other entries. Or however it best fits for you.
Won't you donate?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)