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Why am I always so Cold? Did the Snow Miser visit me in my sleep?

Winter

WinterEver since my Gastric Bypass Surgery I have been unusually cold. Is this a side effect from the surgery or am I just plain old cold?

Let me start by saying I have never liked the cold or shall I say being cold, but most don’t. I also do not like it when it is real hot and I am hot. I am most happy on a 65-70 degree day. With that being said I am not happy either way Cold or Hot and I am one big whiner when it happens. My family knows all too well. I would like to take this moment to thank them for putting up with me, thanks all !!

BUT ever since my surgery I have been noticeably colder than normal even in my house. It is not all the time, but when I am cold it is different than before – I am freezing down to the bones and I can swear my nose feels like ice. When this happens I get all the way under my Snuggie and have to cover my nose to help warm me up and even that does not always work.

In the beginning I thought it was from something I ate, and at times it still can be, and I even mentioned it to my Nutritionist at my first visit when I was 4 weeks post op. She had told me the cold can be a form of “Dumping Syndrome” and I excepted that since it was so much better than the I am gonna die feelings other get. I have yet to get that and hope I never do, but you never know.

Prior to surgery I really never wore a heavy winter coat and wear short sleeves year round. Since the surgery I have been wearing my sweat jacket around in the house – so unlike me. So what gives? Not sure but I have been doing some research to see if it can all be related.

I found this very interesting:

The funny this is I also have reduced energy, cold intolerance obviously and I am losing weight at a slow rate. My surgeon did tell me at my 4 week post op visit that I have a slow metabolism and that can be a cause of the slow weight loss so I knew that.

I go for my blood work up this month and now I need to check to be sure they are doing this free-T3 evaluation.

It could also be just one of the other side effects of Gastric Bypass. Many people who have had the surgery will experience Cold Intolerance this happens because of the large amount of weight loss which equals loss of insulation and less energy generation. Ok makes sense. Our bodies have just been traumatized and even our internal thermostats are confused. I have read that this usually goes away once our weight stabilizes. I still have a long road ahead of me before that happens – oh joy.

On a happier note it is spring and summer is not far off. So hopefully the sun can keep me warm. But I am sure I will complain then too that I am too hot. I am hopeful by the time the real hot weather gets here that I will have had lost a few layers and not be as hot in past years. We will see. It may be an epic fight between the Cold Miser and the Heat Miser. Oh and I also read that patients who exercise experience less chilling than patients who do not exercise. I guess there is no better time then now to get myself on my treadmill which I have been putting off huh?

I have my 3 month post op appointment coming up and this has been added to my list scroll of questions. I also want to ask if constant Goose Bumps can be dangerous – lol. I will update when I have more answers.
So if you are like me and freezing your butt off since Gastric Bypass Surgery – you are not crazy, cold but not crazy.

Warm thoughts being sent your way !!

P.S. – Please send them my way too – I can use a lot !!

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My first Nutrition Appt since my Surgery

Doctor Patient Records

Doctor Patient RecordsHere I am at the start of week 6 and I finally got to see my Nutritionist. I was very excited for this visit and had my food diary in hand along with my list of questions. I was hopeful she could shed some light on why I did not lose at my 5 week weigh in.

I was really hoping that when I stepped on the scale in the office I would have at least lost 1 pound or even a 1/2 pound, but NOPE-NADA. Even their scale showed no loss since last week – URGH – really???

So there I am in with my Nutritionist Amanda – she is so pretty right? Anyway I was excited to get down to business and see if she had any insight or if I was missing something. So of course that was my first question – Why? She told me it is not abnormal for this to happen even this early on. My body is in shock and adjusting. I did just lose 19 pounds in a month which is pretty good even if I was expecting more.

She also said there will be many stalls and plateaus on my journey – it is just what happens. I have accepted it and will move on and not stress over it. I will hope to see some changes next Monday on my weigh in day and if I do not then I will panic like a crazy lady and maybe stalk my surgeon (lol).

I had her skim through my food diary to see if there may be any red flags and she said it looked good. She told me at this point in time I should be eating about 3/4 Cup of food at a sitting. I should also not be taking in more than 800 calories and about 250 per meal (I know I am under that at this point). Sugar content in a food should be less than 10 grams per serving and more than 15 is bad (I have not had anything really with much Sugar content – scares me).

I had a bunch of other questions about foods and if I was able to eat them now and if it was OK. I was excited that she told me I could have fruit – I knew I could have canned fruit in natural juices, but eating the real thing like an Apple, Peach or Nectarine was very exciting. I LOVE fruit and with summer not to far off I am excited for all the summer fruits which are my favs. So on the way home I picked up a couple nectarines at the store – I hope they taste good even though they are not in season.

I also asked about Peanut Butter and Jelly – I like myself a good PB&J every now and then. I can have Peanut Butter, but not too much of course and she said to look for the Sugar Free Jelly. I did stop at the store on my way home and I picked up a Natural Jelly that has no High Fructose Corn Syrup and only natural sugars.

We also talked about breads and being I am a starch baby and miss my bagels she suggested the Thins. OK so its not my New York Bagel, but if I had a craving that would work for me if I needed it. I did pick up some Sandwich Thins to try out – they are very thin and I thought they would be great for a PB&J or my Chicken Sandwiches to change things up.

I did touch base with her on her thoughts about Artificial Sugars and them causing you not to lose weight as I talk about in my recent post HERE. She did say that she had known that they can cause you to crave sweets and that is what can cause weight gain, BUT she was not very aware of the things I had read about them. Regardless I have cut out the Light 4C Ice Tea and switched to plain water – it can’t hurt right?

OH and I cannot forget that I had told her that after I eat sometimes I will get very cold. So cold I need to go under blankets and I shiver. I was surprised that she said this was a form of “Dumping”. So here I thought I had escaped the wrath of Dumping Syndrome and even though I have not gotten the severe dumping where I feel like I am gonna die, I do seem to get another form. When I think back to when this happened to me each time I had a bit too much to eat at one sitting. I am happy to have not gotten the “I wanna Die Dumping” because the feeling of being cold is easily helped with blankets. I hope that is the only dumping I will ever have, but again time will tell and I may not have had a food yet that has truly disagreed with me – like sugars. Fingers, Eye, Toes and Legs are crossed that I can escape it.

So I got my list of questions answered and was excited for some of the new foods she told me to try out and add in. She also assured me again that my stall was not abnormal and not to dwell on it. So I will continue doing what I am doing and I should see the weight loss pick up again. If it does not I am to contact the office and as my hubby said I may need to go in for service (lol). So here is to hoping for a good loss come my next weigh in day !!

I will meet with Amanda again at my 3 month anniversary and of course she is always available for me if I need her sooner.

I am so lucky to have such a great medical staff behind me !!!

Thanks Amanda for making me feel a bit better about my weight loss stall – I will not stress out about it – for now.