Let this curse be broken.

Can we just start with how hard this made me laugh? 

What a good week it's been. 

It's been the first week that I've started feeling more like myself. 

Ok, not 100% (I still get lightheaded and have some back problems)

but I'm up, and about and working out without wanting to kill myself.

So I'm great! 

It was a really great week, 

and now that I think about it, a lot of things happened. 

Because this is my blog,

and I can write about what I want, 

I'm doing to do a weekly recap. 

If you don't want to read it, 

skip forward, 

don't read it,

I probably won't even notice.

Memorial day:

My youngest two siblings and I had the greatest time with some extended family visiting family graves and enjoying each others company. 

There were donuts and E.L.Fudge cookies a plenty,

chips and sodas galore, 

and I ate my cheese stick and turkey slices.

I felt really tired this day.

Because we spent some quality time at each grave site,

my aunt gave me a camping chair from her van to sit in. 

I spent most of the time sitting because I just felt too tired to stand for that long. 

Later that night, my family had their own BBQ in the backyard with classic hamburgers.

I convinced myself to try to each just a patty

(Maybe hamburger meat could pass as a soft meat?)

but realized quickly after finishing that it was a mistake,

and spent the rest of the night sick. 

(And also playing to coolest game of Betrayal yet) 

Both Wednesday and Thursday I tried Sugar free, concentrate free smoothies at both Jamba and Roxberry. 

Neither of them were anything to get excited about, so I'm on the verge of giving up,

unless someone out there has a tasty suggestion! 

Thursday was my brothers graduation.

Another exciting family activity with loooots of food. 

But luckily Costco's Basil Pesto Tilapia saved the day.

I also FINALLY got my new gym pass at VASA, which I was excited to put to use. 

On Saturday we got a sweeeeet surprise.

My mom's uncle called us early in the morning to invite us on his private plane 

to a family reunion in Southern Utah.

I thought ahead and packed my snacks!

(Cheese stick, ziploc of turkey, even a protien shake just in case)

Since my surgery, I have been more motion sick than I have my entire life,

so I was worried that this little plane would make me violently ill.

We got all the way to escalate and I hadn't vomited once! 

I was feeling so proud of myself until I had to rush over to some bushes to see if I could cough anything up.

Luckily, there was nothing in my stomach to come up, so after a few moments of... coughing.... 

my body finally felt satisfied that I was going to be okay. 

Then I felt fine!

Again, as people around me munched and mingled, 

I enjoyed my cheese stick and my turkey. 

I stole a couple of my baby cousins squeezey applesauce pouches (yum!)

and by the time it was dinner, I was hungry, and had run out of food!

They were having Taco Salad, or Nachos 

and I thought that my best bet would be the Chili because it had some meat and some beans.

I was still worried because I had gotten so sick on Monday from the hamburger meat.

I took just a little bit, and prayed (literally) that I wouldn't get ill in the middle of the woods,

or worse, IN MID-FREAKING-AIR-WHERE THERE IS NO BATHROOMS on our flight home. 

Well, I am here to testify that God answers prayers, 

because I made it safely home without any Chili-induced mayhem. 

Even with my good choices this week, and my new exercising routines,

I have officially plateaued this week.

So. FRUSTRATING.

I really didn't think I would plateau this early in the journey. 

I realize that this is normal, but I'm still not happy. 

Honestly, as it might be that I'm not eating enough, or drinking enough water, or both.

But let me tell you, 

after a month of losing 5 pounds a week, i

its maddening to not loose anything this entire week.
Please, please, please, Let this curse be broken

#firstworldproblems #plateaussuck

Oh! hey! Remember how I was talking about the food pyramid??? 

Like, the NEXT day, I found this and it was just too perfect:

*Go back to working 8 hour shifts (on my feet) and not pass out

*Blog twice a week

*Get to the Gym 3-4x/ week

*Walk the dog days I don't get to the gym

*Track my protein/water intake every freaking day. Seriously though. 

Soft Foods and Long Walks.

First let me say,

I am surprised how many of you are reading this blog!

I am amazed at how many people in life are so interested in this journey. 

Seriously, unexpected. 

Welcome-but unexpected. 

This week went by too fast and before I know it, people are asking me

"Why haven't you blogged???" 

and I'm like...

"Oh ya! Its been over a week....I'm on it!"

This week was the my first week that I have entered what we call 

"Phase 3" of the post-op diet. 

This means I can eat soft solids.

(This includes deli meats, cottage cheese, low fat cheese etc...) 

I am supposed to focus on protein foods,

so I have been eating a lot of deli meats and cheese.

Ooooooh was I excited to eat deli meats.

That last leg of the liquid diet had me DYING.

I was CRAVING protein.

For some reason my thumb sized tummy would hurt every time I tried to drink protein shakes,

and my surgeon let me off the hook and said "if it hurts, don't force yourself to drink it".

I feel like after being on an "all liquid diet" for an entire month, 

its easy to stick to any other type of diet. 

This week I have been eating a lot of:

eggs

light cheese sticks

deli meats

cottage cheese

yogurt

and my calcium chews (from Costco and taste like candy) 

I told my best friend Emmalee about my diet,

and she started to laugh, 

because it is basically the opposite of what she eats.

(shes a vegan)

Lots of meat and cheese.

It's been my on-going joke that diet is almost exact opposite of the food pyramid they taught me in elementary school:

They taught us:

LOTS OF GRAINS!

FRUITS AND VEGGIES! 

A BIT OF DAIRY 

HAVE SOME PROTEIN!

After gastric bypass your diet is more:

LOTS OF PROTEIN!

 (60 g a day! Exhausting for this thumb sized tummy!)

EAT THAT CHEESE!

LIMIT YOUR FRUITS AND VEGGIES!

NO CARBS ALLOWED!

Weird, right? 

It feels backwards, but it makes sense.

I can get nutrients that you need from fruits and veggies from multi-vitamins,

but you can't "fake" protein. 

So with the limited space I have,

gotta focus on 'dat protein. 

Truth me told,

I'm still malnourished,

and dehydrated. 

I get lightheaded any time I stand up too quickly.

Its hard to eat and drink all that I am supposed to!

I would essentially have to be consuming something 24/7

and that's just not easy. 

I had been feeling really good. 

I had been walking the dog and it seemed to be going well.

So a few days ago, while I was walking, 

and feeling good,

I decided to keep walking.

I ended up walking 2 miles.

At first this felt like a victory,

until I came home and essentially crashed for the rest of the day

and it wiped me clean for at least the next two days.

geeeeez.

2 steps forward, one step back.

I've also started feeling sick this week.

I eat try something new,

I eat something a little too fast,

and I puke. 

Not fun. 

On the plus side,

I've already dropped a LOT of weight.

30 pounds in one month.

Can't complain,

but don't you dare think it came easy.

It came with a lot of sacrifices 

and a lot of tears. 

This is definitely not the easy way,

but it's proving to be effective.

I love feeling like the worst is behind me.

I will slowly learn what I can handle and what I can't,

which will lead to less sickness. 

I get less and less sore every day.

I can do more and more every day,

and so the transition continues.

#awkwardbathroomselfies 

1 week checkup and progress

Yesterday I had my one week check up with my surgeons office.

It was great for multiple reasons:

1- I finally got out of the house. 

2- Because I was leaving, I got showered 

(which takes 3 times longer than before)

 and actually got ready for the day. 

Hair, make up, the works. 

Even my mom couldn't help but say

"You look like yourself again"

..... Thanks? 

3- I got to ask my surgeon some of my questions

4- HE SAID I COULD START PHASE 3 OF MY DIET ON SUNDAY!

Oh I am so excited. 

I basically knew that I would be ok to move forward,

but after basically a whole month 

surviving solely on liquids,

I'm excited to move one step closer to "normal" food.

5- I got my drain out. 

(try not to get grossed out by this)

A tube was sticking out of my stomach since surgery,

and I normally didn't notice it,

but for the last few days it had started feeling a bit uncomfortable.

I was surprised that it really didn't hurt to pull it out.

He basically just had to clip the stitches that was holding it in place

and pull.

As I lay there and watched him pull on this tube, 

I was surprised mostly by the length. 

I guess I just imagined that it was a short tube,

but it ended up being about the length of my forearm!

THAT WAS IN ME! 

Other updates:

- I have become easily BORED. 

I am just not accustomed to "doing nothing" 

I try to stay busy, but I am just not used to so much unstructured time.

I am also SO BORED with my diet.

Sugar free pudding, sugar free jello, sugar free popsicles,

soups. So much soup.

Did I mention I'm excited for Sunday? 

- I no longer sleep all day.

- I have even gone some days without pain meds! 

(some days I am taking it every 4 hours on the hour, but hey... baby steps)

-My mom says she can already noticed that I look thinner.

I'm always the last to notice,

 but I guess that's a good sign.

-I don't handle the protein shakes very well,

but my surgeon said that if it's giving me a stomach ache, 

to not worry about it until I can handle it.

Hallelujah.