The Further Adventures of Deluzy: Full to the gills

Health and Wellness

The Google 15
An excellent weight-tracking tool that keeps track of your moving weight average over time so that no single weigh-in is a cause for ecstacy or despair.
Understanding Your Tests
A good preliminary resource for understanding your lab work (though of course it's no substitution for discussing results with your doctor)
FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal
An essential tool for me during my first 6 post-op months -- and a good reality check for anyone keeping track of daily food intake (e.g., calories, fats, carbohydrates, etc.) and activity levels
Gmaps Pedometer
A wonderful tool that allows one to map exercise routes and calculate miles covered and calories burned

Products I Like

Spanx
A line of comfortable foundation garments (and even easy-to-pack clothing) that comes in handy post-op to corrale that wayward, formerly obese flesh and make you feel comfortable. Available online, at Lane Bryant in larger sizes, at Nordstrom in smaller sizes, and sometimes at outlets for less.
Pure Protein RTD shakes
At an average of 35 grams of protein, 3 grams of carbs, and 160 calories, these ready-to-drink shakes work for me because I can chill them, grab them, pack them, and go. Available from a variety of online sources or at GNC stores.
Perfectly Sweet
Expensive but excellent source for sugar-free and no-sugar-added bakery and candy items.
Low Carb Corner
As near as I can tell, this site sells nothing but two kinds of breakfast cereal -- but as one who's avoided cereal since my DS surgery because it contains virtually no protein and far too many carbs, Protein Crunch is a wonderful option (i.e., 27 grams protein, 2 net grams carbs). It's horrifyingly expensive but for WLS cereal lovers, it's worth the occasional splurge.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Full to the gills

Go figure the food thing. I can't. I'm coming up on my period, and as is typical since WLS, my appetite shrinks drastically in these few days before it hits.

Only as I've said, I'd swear it's not just my appetite but my actual stomach that shrinks: I get that backed-up-in-the-throat, full-to-the-neck feeling that I used to have in the first 6-8 months after my DS when I got full very easily.

Today it happened after my husband and I had gone out for a late Mexican breakfast. I had a small cup of tortilla soup for starters (I ate around the tortillas and took the broth, vegetables, a little melted cheese, and the stewed chicken) and then chile verde. I ate only the stewed pork (which was tender and delicious) and left the rice and beans. Protein only, in other words.

An hour later, as I was strolling around a local arts and wine fair that's held annually, sipping a bottle of water to stay hydrated, and thinking about walking home, I realized I had that gaggy feeling at the back of my throat.

WTF? I was full, certainly, but I hadn't overeaten, eaten too quickly, or not chewed my food thoroughly.

However, just topping it all off with about half a bottle of water less than an hour later put me over the top. I made my way home (about a 30-minute trip), walked in the door, and headed directly for the bathroom. The water came back up immediately, rather as if I were a human fountain, but the meal stayed down. (Fortunately. I wanted to hang on to that protein, thankyouverymuch!)

At other times of the month I can be a bottomless pit and put away large quantities of food, though not as much as I used to. But right now? Well, let's just say that I'm sipping a protein shake so as to make sure I hit my protein minimum for the day because it's not going to happen through food alone.

Posted at 06:39 PM in Food and Drink, WLS/Duodenal Switch | Permalink