An ode to Chicken Broth! ....and Health

Seriously..... Here I was eating my meal, drinking my protein drinks and drinking a TON of water and literally felt like I was starving myself! Suddenly, at work, as I was dragging my body down the hall digging my fingernails into the floor to pull myself along, I had a 'DING' go off in my head! "I can have Broth!! I can have broth!!!!!" It is on my list of acceptable fluids to drink through out the day! Let me tell you, that styrofoam cup with hot water with a packet of powder that is Boullion, it was the best food I have ever had! I was so happy! I had forgotten that I could have fluids other than water!

On a side note, I have had a persistent cough since Monday and it is neither going nor coming. Not sure what is going on. The last thing I need is for my surgeon to tell me "Oh, your sick? Well, we're going to have to re-schedule...." No we are not.... so I am going to go to the Dr. tomorrow... he may just tell me that I just have a cough and give me something to make it go away.... but he may also tell me it is Bronchitis and give me a Z-pack and send me on my way, allowing for my cough to go away and surgery to happen on the scheduled day of June 5! I will keep you posted on what the Dr says! Hope you are all having a great day!!

This diet is great in the not great kinda way!

Yeah, I find myself wanting to beat people down for food... is this not a good thing? Yeah, okay, so it's not THAT bad, but I definitely feel hungry all the time, to be sure.... I know this will all be over in a week and I will have bigger fish to fry (mmmmm.... fried fish......), so I have to look in the horizon. There are so many things that make this starvation worth it. I can't wait to be healthy, I can't wait to be able to sit in a plane without feeling claustrophobic, I can't wait to have people look at me and don't think to themselves "Oh, that poor thing..." or even worse, "That fat lazy girl". Don't get me wrong, I'm not being a victim about it at all, I am a realist and I just know it happens. So, if you see me between now and the 5th of June, don't have any food.... if you do, at least make it be celery - then I will insist you keep it!

Pre-op diet = meh...

Most think that when the surgery happens, that is when you make the changes in your diet... one couldn't BE more wrong.... First of all, I have been losing weight since November and have lost 30 pounds, trying to instill a healthy style to my eating. But the other thing is that two weeks before the surgery, you start a special "pre-op" diet. This diet aims at shrinking your liver. It is common for obese people to have an elarged liver and - since your liver is right next to/on top of your stomach, an enlarged liver can make an otherwise simple procedure difficult. The diet is following:

Three high protein drinks per day (more if indicated) AND one meal

Meal components for freshly prepared meal:

Food Group Amount Some examples
Lean Meat 4 oz. Chicken, fish, turkey, cheese, tofu
Starch 1/2C. or 1 oz. Potato, rice, pasta, sweet potato
Vegetable 1C. cooked AND unlimited raw Broccoli, green beans, cauliflower
Fruit 1 Medium peice of fruit Apple, 4" Banana, Peach, Pear
Low Fat Milk 4 oz. Low Fat Milk, Low Fat yogurt
Fat 1tsp. regular or 1TBSP light Margarine, butter, oil, mayonnaise

My day starts out with a protein shake. I'll have another one mid morning. If I am working, I eat the meal for lunch so I can get the extra nutrition while I am running around and have the last shake after I get home. If I am not working, I wait til dinner, so I can eat with Seth, in which case I will have another protein shake mid afternoon. I have made enough components so that I am all set for it all the way through. This is what I am eating:


Chicken breast - 1/2 a breast
1/2C. cooked rice
1C. cooked broccoli
LOTS of raw carrots and soy beans
Orange
Fat free yogurt
a tab of margarine for the rice

It is actually a really tasty and REALLY filling meal! Not always able to finish it and always feel satisfied! I am also taking a multivitamin and a calcium suppliment.

You are also encouraged to consume 8 cups - 64 ounces - of non-carbonated liquid per day - including any protein shakes you have. So I have three 8oz shakes = 24oz. 40 more oz per day of the following:

Water, sugar-free popsicles, sugar-free jell-o, fat free/low fat broth/boullion, decaffeinated herbal tea, diet Snapple, Crystal light, Fruit2O, Propel, Milk (Skim or 2%)

The day before surgery, I am to have five shakes, no food at all.... Can't believe it is all happening so fast!

....and we are off!!

Hi there everyone! All two or three of you! My name is Skye and I am 10 days - yes... 10 days out from having the lab band placed on the outside of my stomach. Why would anyone ever do this to themselves?? I am obese... I feel like I should be saying "Hi, my name is Skye and I am obese", - then your line is "Hiiiii, Skyyyyyyye....." I know some people might think this is a personal thing to go through, and indeed it is. I know I am opening myself up to potential rude people, but I feel like this is the first step in my recovery. My profile picture is what I am considering my "Before" picture and I will wear the same t-shirt and take pictures as time goes on so you are able to see the difference the time makes!

I thought I should do an FYI post to start out. What is the LapBand system?

I will have a band placed on the outside of my stomach with the ability to fill with saline and tighten it. It has the capacity for 10cc's which is about equal to two teaspoons of saline. Doesn't seem like much, but it actually is. There will be a portal on the upper left side of my large intestine in which the nurse will fill the band with more saline or take saline out if there is too much. That's about it for now. I will post a separate post re. my wonderful pre-op diet.... that is such good times.... ;P