Melting Away (reblog)

Originally posted December 2, 2023

Some more miscellaneous updates.

I’ve gone to the gym every day since Saturday. They have a walking track, all I did Saturday was walk. Four laps around the track, bout 150 steps each lap, took about ten minutes. Then I had to take a break, my lower back would start to hurt. Five minutes off, then another four laps. Another break. Four more laps. About 30 minutes in total. It’s a start, right?

The scale in the locker room only goes to 350. Does me no good. I was hoping to use the scale there to track my weight, but that’s what I need to get to. I could keep checking till I get under that, but that doesn’t help me check my progress. Feh. I got home and ordered a 440# scale off Amazon. I guess it won’t hurt to have one here at home. I don’t think I’ve ever owned a scale before, aside from my kitchen scale.

Sunday. First ten minutes on the track, then I decided to try the treadmill. Two ten minute sessions, half-mile each. So that puts me at walking a mile and a half each of those two days.

I was going to skip Monday, but decided not to, I had to go home and grab my bag and then go to the gym. Good thing it is only bout a mile and a half from my house. So I went back, decided to jump on the treadmill, made it five minutes and started feeling sore. The grab bars are just a bit too low for me, and for some reason I’m not quite coordinated enough to walk on there without holding on. Moved over to the recumbent bike and did two, ten minute rides on there. A couple of miles each time I think.

I have been doing pretty good on the meals. I don’t know if I’m keeping under 1500 calories, according to what I put in the meal tracker at sparkpeople.com I am. But it just seems like, I dunno. The watered down Gatorade I drink probably adds a few calories, but less than 100 I would think. And I did have a treat the other day. I was cleaning out a cooler in the garage and found a Snickers bar in the lid compartment. Kind of frozen. I cut it in to four pieces (it was a regular size bar), put three in a baggie in the freezer and ate one.

It was good.

It was realllllly good.

But I only ate that one bit, the rest is still in the freezer. I’ve also been eating some snacks here and there. 100 Calorie packs of pretzels, fat-free pudding cups, LOTS of dill pickles. (hey… it’s only bout 15 calories!) And I’ve been trying to be creative with my meals.

Tonight I marinated a portabella mushroom cap in some Italian dressing, then broiled it. Then flipped it over, put a thin slice of onion,some feta crumbles,and some seasoning and broiled it some more. OK, maybe shouldn’t have had the feta, but it’s been in my fridge for over a month, and I kept the portion to the 1 ounce, but since I was having a 3 ounce of steak I went a bit over on my protein portions for today.

I sliced up the left over steak I used and put it on a piece of bread I had made and did the same bit of feta and seasonings before broiling that too. Both were very good.

Oh yea, Monday I was with one of the sales guys at the gym (paid the first month and set up fees for my dad to join the gym) and decided to suck it up and ask someone at the gym if they had a larger scale. He showed me one in the personal trainer office. 364.8. If that’s in tune with the one I stepped on at the doctors last Wed, I’m down nearly five pounds in as many days.

So, if I can stick to eating 1500-2000 calories a day will I lose weight? Of course. Will I keep it off?

I… I don’t think so. I wouldn’t say I’m starving, but I am going hungry each day. I’m snacking at times of the day I wouldn’t normally. Which may not be a terrible thing, but I’m not getting FULL with my meals. I think what is going to keep me going for the next few months is that I have to put up with this as part of getting the surgery. The point of having such a surgery is so that when you eat these tiny amounts, you feel full and you stay feeling full until the next meal. I think I had two dill pickles and a sugar free fudgecicle on Sunday because I wasn’t feeling full. Ever. Yesterday wasn’t as bad because I was more distracted and busy at work.

Sure, it has been less than a week, but already I think I’m seeing better than just last week how bariatric surgery will help. Because I am eating right, but I’m still hungry. So I know I can eat right. I’ve always known I could, but I am going to need help to eat less. Not sure there is any other way of getting around that. And it’s not like I am not drinking enough water. I drank about 10 cups just at work today. Another cup at the gym, a cup of V-8 before breakfast, and I’m sure I’ll go through another 2-3 cups before bed yet. And yes, even tho it doesn’t effect me like it would post-op, I’ve stopped drinking with and for awhile after meals.

So to keep this working long haul, I still think I need the right tool.

This reblog was originally posted on one of my previous blogs/websites. Some will be about my personal experiences with my decision to have bariatric surgery, others are about other relevant issues that I feel are worth still having available for discussion. Minor editing may have been done for clarity.