My fifth week after Gastric Bypass

Sunny Day

Sunny DayWeek 5 seemed so much better for me and I had a bit more normalcy being able to eat regular food this week. We also had a few warm days so I was able to get outside and feel the sun rays – hopefully winter will be over soon.

The things that I enjoyed the most this week was being able to sit down to dinner with hubby and the kids and actually eat what they were having. The kids really liked that as well.

I am also happy to report that those feelings of depression that were so bad seem to have lifted up quite a bit this week. Almost overnite I started to feel a bit better. Maybe it was the sun coming out more and knowing Spring is right around the corner – who the heck knows, but I am happy to be feeling happier !!

Here is what I ate so you can see each day for the fifth week:

(I am not gonna add the times on – just the order in which I ate)

February 21st

Today I chilled with my daughter and caught up on some of the Twilight Movies. She was not feeling well all weekend running a fever and stuff. I got her favorite snack to make her feel better – Goldfish Crackers and I was jealous so I took a handful and let me tell ya they were so good. The salt left on my lips afterwards was priceless. Yes I like salt. I also cooked up a Quiche today and you can find the recipe here: Crustless Spinach, Feta and Onion Quiche. It is yummy and as you can see I ate it twice today.

February 21st

  • Crystal Light Iced Tea (drank over the course of the day)
  • Protein Shake
  • Handful of Low Fat Wheat Thins
  • 1/2 Chicken Sandwich on Whole Wheat Bread with Mayo, Salt & Pepper
  • Handful of Low Fat Wheat Thins
  • 3/4 cupish Sir Fry with LoMein Noodles, Shrimps and Veggies
  • Handful of Low Fat Wheat Thins

Today was the day that I had my first Post Op Appointment with my surgeon. I was officially released to unrestricted food with caution of course. The Wheat Thins were a craving after seeing the nurse in my surgeons office eating them. Then the one things I was dying to have was a sandwich on a piece of bread – so missed bread !! So I made one using Deli Sliced Dietz & Watson Chicken (so yummy) and I had that on 1 slice of Whole Wheat Bread – now I did not cheese out on the Mayo – I used the real deal. Sometimes some things are not worth cheesing on and for me Mayo is one of them. Now don’t get me wrong I do have Low Fat Mayo in the house that I use with other things, but I my little sandwich I wanted the real stuff for flavor. I added some Salt & Pepper and my tiny sandwich was dreamy !! And yes I had lots of Wheat Thins this day – I was addicted and if you read my post HERE you will understand why.

February 22nd

  • Crystal Light Iced Tea (drank over the course of the day)
  • Protein Shake
  • 1 Whole Chicken Sandwich on Whole Wheat Bread with Mayo, Salt & Pepper (Rut Roh)
  • A Slice of Crustless Spinach, Feta and Onion Quiche
  • Ham Steak, Broccoli & Pasta Roni (small side of Natural Applesauce for dipping)
  • SF Ice Pop
  • Handful of Low Fat Wheat Thins

OK lets start by talking about that whole sandwich I consumed. Yesterday I had a 1/2 sandwich and felt like I wanted more because it was so good – so today I made myself a whole one. NOT a good idea – this was the first time I really pushed myself and ate more than I should. After I ate it I got really cold and went under 2 blankets – laid down and fell asleep for 2 hours. Form what I know now that cold feeling I had is a form of dumping. I did not have any other symptoms just the cold and I think the reason is that I ate too much.

I also went outside today because it was sunny and kinda warm. I helped stack wood and clean the garage a bit. It felt so good to be outside and what a mood changer it was. The sun can do marvelous things ya know !!

Tonight I had dinner with the family and decided to eat what they were having which was Ham Steak, Broccoli and Pasta Roni. I plated my small portion on a dessert plate vs a regular plate. I cut up my ham in tiny pieces and started with that first. Protein first is important. I also used Natural Applesauce for dipping (I am a dipper). The I had some Broccoli and after that I had a few bites of Pasta Roni. By the time I got to the Pasta Roni I was almost full and after a couple bites I could feel it not wanted to go down – so at that point as much as my brain was telling me to finish what was on my plate – I did not. It was a proud moment for me to walk away – just sayin’

February 23rd

  • Crystal Light Iced Tea (drank over the course of the day)
  • Protein Shake
  • A Slice of Crustless Spinach, Feta and Onion Quiche
  • 1/2 Chicken Sandwich on Whole Wheat Bread with Mayo, Salt & Pepper
  • Handful of Low Fat Cheese Its
  • Small piece of Flounder with Tarter Sauce

Had me another Chicken Sandwich – I am hooked, but notice I only had 1/2 today !! I was also excited to have some fish – I love fish, but I still had to have a small amount of Tarter Sauce on the side for dipping. As I have stated above – I am a dipper !!

February 24th

  • Crystal Light Iced Tea (drank over the course of the day)
  • Protein Shake
  • 1/2 Chicken Sandwich on Whole Wheat Bread with Mayo, Salt & Pepper
  • 3/4 cupish Low Fat Corned Beef Hash
  • SF Ice Pop
  • 1 Sugar Free Tastycake Chocolate Cream Filled Cupcake
  • 3/4 Burritto – Ground Turkey, Refried Beans, Low Fat Sour Cream, Guacamole & Salsa in a Tortilla
  • 1/2 Slice Muenster Cheese

Today I had a headache and my back was hurting probably from over doing it the other day outside. So I took a Tylenol 3 and took it easy. IT was also really rainy and gross out today which was a bummer after such a nice couple of days – what a tease that was. It was Taco Night for dinner and I was happy to join in. Usually I eat the crunchy Taco Shells, but we left those out beacuse I was not sure they would be a good idea for me – so we just used the Soft Tortilla Shells. So I made mine with a small amount of what I listed above and peeled off any excess shell. I was able to eat about 3/4 of it and was full. It was so good and so very hard to not finish it I must say, but I listened to my body and stopped. Taco night is a favorite in my house and to think that I used to easily down 6 Crunchy Tacos to just 3/4 of a Burrito amazes me.

February 25th

  • Crystal Light Iced Tea (drank over the course of the day)
  • Protein Shake
  • Bite of my son’s omelet
  • 1/2 Laughing Cow Low Fat Swiss Cheese Wedge
  • Handful of Low Fat Cheese Its
  • Salad – Lettuce, Tomato, Feta Cheese and Red Wine Vinaigrette Dressing
  • 3/4 cupish Shrimp with Lobster Sauce over White Rice
  • 2 SF Ice Pops

Today was very exciting for me – I had my 1st Salad in months. I LOVE Salad. We had some left over lettuce and tomato already cut up from Taco Night so I could not help but eat some. I topped it with a bunch of Feta Cheese for protein and it was amazing. It was Iceburg lettuce, but that is ok for now – next time I will have more nutritious greens. I just craved a salad and it was there ready to go. For dinner hubby and my son ordered Chinese Food and I wanted some too. So instead of my usual Garlic Chicken I decided to order Shrimp with Lobster Sauce. I did not think the Garlic Chicken would be a good idea at this point. I was nervous about the White Rice, but I said what the heck. So I took a small portion and placed it into a bowl so I would not over eat and it was sooo good. I did not have any reaction to the rice. I was however thirsty later as I always am after Chinese Food (next time I will ask for no MSG) so I had 2 SF Ice Pops to cure that while I watched TV.

February 26th (my dad’s 75th Birthday ♥ !!)

  • Crystal Light Iced Tea (drank over the course of the day)
  • Protein Shake
  • 1/2 Chicken Sandwich on Whole Wheat Bread with Mayo, Salt & Pepper
  • Handful of Low Fat Cheese Its
  • 1 Low Fat Mozzarella String Cheese
  • 2 Pieces of Popcorn Chicken (stole from daughter)
  • Handful of Peanuts
  • 1 Small Chicken Cutlet, Peas Scalloped 3 Cheese Potatoes and Light Honey Mustard for dipping
  • Salad – Lettuce, Tomato, Feta Cheese and Red Wine Vinaigrette Dressing
  • SF Ice Pop

So while shopping at Walmart today my daughter got a cup of Popcorn Chicken. I stole 2 pieces !! For dinner hubby made Chicken Cutlets (Breaded & Fried). I had 1 small Chicken Cutlet which I dipped into Light Honey Mustard (that is me the dipper), some Peas (canned) and a few bites of Scalloped 3 Cheese Potatoes. I handled it very well, thank godness. Later that night while watching TV I craved a Salad again and I still had some lettuce and tomato left so I made another one and enjoyed it while watching TV. Later I followed it up with a SF Ice Pop.

So this was a good week I must say. My depression seemed much better and being unrestricted with my food may have helped as well. I did eat a lot of Chicken Sandwiches this week, but I go in spurts with everything. One week I may be in love with a certain food and eat it everyday and then the following week I am over it.

I was so excited to have a couple salads – I really missed that so much. I cannot wait until Spring when all our local Veggie Stands get filled up – I am so there. I love home grown produce, but have failed at my own veggie gardens over the years – a bit of laziness I guess. I will do my Topsy Turvys again though – those are pretty easy.

I look forward to adding in more new foods and hopefully I will continue to avoid the harsh “Dumping” so many experience with certain things.

So I had my Week 5 weigh in and I was shocked – you can read my post all about it here:

5 Week weigh in and no weight loss – WTF?

As you can read in the title I had 0 weight loss – how crazy is that? You just read what I ate the whole week. Read the post and learn why I think it may have happened.

Stay Tuned for my post about meeting with my Nutritionist…

My fourth week after Gastric Bypass

Woman Pointing

Woman PointingHoly Crap it is 4 weeks since my Gastric Bypass Surgery – I swear the weeks are just flying by. Things have been easy and so far so good, the only issues I have been battling with is some extra depression.

I have stated in previous posts that I suffered from depression for many many years and was on medication prior to my surgery. The feeling of depression has hit me again – it almost feels like I stopped taking my medication altogether. Depression after Gastric Bypass Surgery is very common, but I thought I was safe being I was already on meds – well not the case at all.

This past week was the worst – just did not feel like doing much of anything. I just laid around when I could and watched TV – I had no motivation to do much of anything else. It is so weird because you would think I would be so happy losing weight and all. Nope – it is very hard to not have anyway to cope being the one thing that would comfort me (FOOD) is gone. It is that and a mixture of other things like the not smoking too that is driving me CRaZy. I will talk to my doctor when I see him for my post op visit- for now I will deal with being a little extra crazy.

Here is what I ate so you can see each day for the fourth week:

(I am not gonna add the times on – just the order in which I ate)

February 13th

  • Crystal Light Iced Tea (drank over the course of the day)
  • Protein Shake
  • 1/2 Cupish Refried Beans with Salsa & Low fat Sour Cream
  • 1 Laughing Cow Low Fat Swiss Cheese Wedge
  • 1/2 + Cupish Mashed Potatoes (Bob Evans)
  • A few bites of Tuna Fish
  • 1 Laughing Cow Low Fat Swiss Cheese Wedge
  • 1/2 Cup Broccoli (pureed with I cannot believe it is not Butter & Salt)
  • Frozen Protein Shake Pop

Today I tried some Tuna Fish I made for the hubby and kids – it was delish. I am getting bored with my food now and slowly taking chances trying some new things.

February 14th (Valentine’s Day)

  • Crystal Light Iced Tea (drank over the course of the day)
  • Protein Shake
  • Piece of Watermelon (small heart shaped piece)
  • Chicken w/Salsa & Low Fat Sour Cream
  • Sloppy Joe with Turkey

Hmmm Looks like I did not eat much today. I did not miss chocolate on Valentine’s Day because it is not my thing – I know crazy right? Even my kids who are also eating healthier only got a Chocolate Heart this year that had 3 chocolates in it. I did get them Watermelon that was cut out in Heart Shapes and a Cinnamon Bun for Breakfast. The Watermelon looked so good I had to have one too. For my dinner I took some Chicken from a roasted chicken and mixed it with a small amount of chicken broth & salsa – I pureed it a bit and topped it with some low fat sour cream (thanks to a reader for that idea). I was eating that while my family was having Sloppy Joe’s. Well theirs smelled so good so I ditched the rest of mine and had some of theirs. Sloppy Joe was much better – just sayin’.

February 15th

  • Crystal Light Iced Tea (drank over the course of the day)
  • Protein Shake
  • Am’s Bean Soup
  • 2 Pieces of Muenster Cheese
  • Hubby’s Homemade Mei Fun w/Scallops & Shrimp and small piece of Cod Fish
  • Slice of Sugar Free Blueberry Pie
  • Piece of Muenster Cheese

Yup I got extra daring today and added even more new tastes to my list. I tried some Muenster Cheese I bought for my son – I love Muenster Cheese and it is good – do not let the name scare ya !! Hubby made dinner tonight and I decided I would join the family and have some too. I was nervous at first with the Rice Noodles, but I said WTF and dug in to my tiny portion. I also had a small piece of Cod Fish as well – I picked off the breading. After I ate I waited thinking OMG I am going to have Dumping – well thank god I did not. Earlier in the day I went grocery shopping and I want to thank the Amish ladies who added a nice selection of Sugar Free Pies to the bakery. I was craving a sweet dessert. So I picked up 1/2 of a Sugar Free Blueberry Pie to try. No I did not eat the whole 1/2 – I just had a little slice and it was YUMMERS !! Love the Amish – I will have to go back and get an apple next time !!

February 16th

  • Crystal Light Iced Tea (drank over the course of the day)
  • Protein Shake
  • 1/2 Cupish Refried Beans with Salsa & Low fat Sour Cream
  • Coffee with SF Hazelnut Creamer
  • Few Pieces of Imitation Crab Meat
  • 1/2 Cupish Refried Beans with Salsa & Low fat Sour Cream
  • 1 Sugar Free Tastycake Chocolate Cream Filled Cupcake

Today was a normal eating day with the exception of me trying some Imitation Crab, which I like to eat just plain and cold. I also had purchased a box of Sugar Free Tastycake Chocolate Cream Filled Cupcakes the day before. I ended up having one tonight – they are small and each package has 2 in it. One Cupcake is only 70 calories and has 1.5 grams of protein. It was pretty good – would a Hostess Cupcake be better, absolutely – but not a good idea at all after surgery. The SF Tastycake was a good treat without any bad repercussions.

February 17th

  • Crystal Light Iced Tea (drank over the course of the day)
  • Protein Shake
  • Few Pieces of Imitation Crab Meat
  • 2 Scrambled Eggs
  • 1 Sugar Free Tastycake Chocolate Cream Filled Cupcake
  • 2 small pieces of Yogurt Cheese
  • A few slices of Avocado
  • 1/2 + Cupish Mashed Potatoes (Bob Evans)
  • SF Ice Pop
  • 1 small piece of Yogurt Cheese

Today I made myself 2 scrambled eggs – 1 scrambled never seems to be enough. I ate it all and was nice and full. Hubby was cutting up some Avocado for his sandwich at lunch – so I ate a few pieces – I love me some Avocado !! Again I had no issues with anything I ate today.

February 18th

  • Crystal Light Iced Tea (drank over the course of the day)
  • Protein Shake
  • 1 small piece of Yogurt Cheese
  • 1/2 slice of Muenster Cheese
  • Am’s Ham & Potato
  • 1 Sugar Free Tastycake Chocolate Cream Filled Cupcake
  • 1 small piece of Yogurt Cheese
  • 1 Sugar Free Tastycake Chocolate Cream Filled Cupcake
  • 1/2 Cupish Refried Beans with Salsa & Low fat Sour Cream
  • 1 small piece of Feta Cheese

Wow seems like I ate a lot today, but in reality hardly anything compared what I use to eat in a day. My sister made a Ham & Potato recipe that she shared with me. I had a small amount – it had pieces of Ham and Potatoes in a creamy sauce. I really liked it. I will get the recipe to share – it was a winner so she will be making it again. I also had a piece of Feta Cheese today – Feta Cheeses is my favorite and I am glad cheese is loaded with protein. I would marry cheese if I could.

February 19th

  • Crystal Light Iced Tea (drank over the course of the day)
  • Protein Shake
  • A few bites of leftover Sloppy Joe Meat
  • 1/2 Cupish Chicken Pot Pie (PA Dutch Style)
  • Goldfish Crackers
  • Tiny Bite of Pizza
  • 3 Spoonfuls of Broccoli Cheese Soup
  • 1/2 Salmon Burger and Tarter Sauce
  • SF Ice Pop

Today I tried lots of new things, but with some minor issues. I tried some Chicken Pot Pie (PA Dutch Style) which is not the pot pie I grew up with that had a crust on top and bottom. They make it very different here – to me it is basically Chicken and Noodles. I had no issues after I ate that. I also had some of my daughter’s Goldfish Crackers – which was incredibly enjoyable, but I had to watch that I did not over do it since we were watching TV. She was sick and we were hanging out on the couch – that is dangerous because I could have mindlessly eaten the whole bag – I was proud that I controlled myself.

At dinner time I heated my son up some leftover pizza and took a very tiny bite from the end. Right after that I heated up some Broccoli Cheese Soup for my daughter and tasted 3 spoonfuls. I have a very bad habit of picking in the kitchen and tasting. Well I did not have dumping, but my stomach did not seem happy with one either the Pizza or Soup cause it was yelling at me. Then I had my 1/2 Salmon Burger with Tarter Sauce on the side. My belly was still not happy, but the culprit was not the Salmon. It was not horrible, but I knew something did not agree with me.

So not too bad of a week besides the damn depression. I am hoping that will fade away, but I will still talk to my doctor about it. I also did well adding in new foods to try this week – even though I should have still been on pureed foods according to my surgeon’s guidelines. I just felt good enough and ready to make the leap to new things and I was getting so bored of eating pureed foods anyways. Hopefully I will not get yelled at by my surgeon for doing so. I did use a lot of caution and chewed my food really really well.

And yes another week goes by with no episodes of that “Dumping” everyone talks about. I have been so lucky to have had no major issues with eating at all. I am not sure if that is really a good or bad thing. It kinda makes me nervous in a weird way. I have not pushed myself to over eat and can feel when I am full. The hunger I have is more mental than physical which is something I fight with everyday, but it is getting easier.

The weight loss is slower that I would have expected with how little I am eating, but everyone loses differently I guess. I can see more of a difference in my size vs what the scales tells me and I can now pull my jeans right down with out unbuttoning with no issues at all. I only expect to be in my jeans for another week or so before I need to down size. I always lose in my upper body first and I have such a big Ass and Legs and that is what is keeping my pants up right now – lol.

My face has thinned out quite a bit and even my boobs are shrinking. Since I have been heavy my boobs got huge – Double Ds for me and I am looking forward to them going away. I will be very happy in a B cup – just sayin’ As for the Hubby – well he will just have to live with it !!

Stay Tuned for my First Post Op Visit Post….

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