Last night I was absentmindedly playing with my wedding ring (which has been noticeably looser over the past few days) and I decided that I should weigh myself. When I told Kevin he needed to go get the scale out from his Super Secret Hiding Spot, he arched an eyebrow at me in his patented "Are you really sure about this because I am TOTALLY going to do it" way. I insisted that he go get it because I was certain it would be good news when I hopped on it this time.
And so he did, and so I did, and....
5.3 down from last Thursday. Like magic! Except really it was all that anabolic state scientific stuff and not magic at all. And now I can say I've lost just over 20 pounds since the surgery last month and be Very Impressive. (And also stop being mopey.)
So there was that, which was really super awesome. But there are other things that are not really super awesome. Yesterday I did not go to the gym because I didn't get home until 8pm and it had been a definitely Not Awesome day on the body side.
(And now I am going to regale you with stories about my bodily functions so feel free to not read it if you are eating lunch or something. Or if you just don't like the word poop.)
Back in 2001, I worked at an academic research institution, which is as well known for its striking architecture (designed by Louis Kahn) as for its research (Frances Crick was a scientist in residence while I was there; he had very bushy eyebrows). And part of that striking architecture were breezeways that wrapped around the building, so that to get to the bathrooms, we had to go out on the walkway first. (Stay with me, I swear there's a point to this.) At the time I was working there, I was trying to be more healthy and started taking a daily multi-vitamin every morning, usually right after I ate breakfast at my desk because they had a tendency to make me nauseous. Well, one morning, I took my pill a little too long after I ate my oatmeal and soon I found myself running out the door and onto the breezeway trying desperately not to throw up.
I failed, miserably. Oatmeal barf was all over the breezeway and me, and it was most definitely not fun. And I realized that really, standard multi-vitamins were not for me, because I did not want to puke because of them. So I stuck to children's chewables, until the surgery.
And now I take 14 vitamin pills a day, split up over the hours between 8am and 10pm. (I told you my doctor is very proactive in deficiency treatment!) My morning pills are one B-1, 3 chewable iron, and one chewable multi-vitamin. I usually do them about 20-30 minutes after I eat breakfast, when there's still a little food in my stomach. But yesterday was busy, and I didn't take them for over an hour after breakfast, AND I took them too fast.
And then I spent 20 minutes in the bathroom throwing up, because vitamins still make me nauseous. Who knew?
I don't throw up often (this was only the third time, and this was the first time it wasn't because I ate too fast), but it does happen more easily. Something I don't exactly enjoy, that's for sure, and definitely a downside. At least it's a tolerable downside since A) it does not happen very often and B) even when it does, it's usually over super fast and relatively pain free for me.
Oh, and today? I did my chewables at the very end of my meal, with no waiting. And no nausea, go figure.
On top of the vitamin nausea yesterday, I've had the ongoing saga that is constipation (a saga I'm sure we've ALL been through). Lots & lots of protein + not much fiber = Unhappy Butt. Seriously, it was like my butt just forgot how to work all of a sudden! Before the surgery, I was one of those people who was a once a day, every day girl, so this whole "have to do an ab workout on the toilet" thing was making me not happy. My butt and I quickly became adversaries, warring it out every day as it teased me with a "gotta poop!" signal only to refuse to let go of the goods.
Thanks to the addition of Benefiber to my morning and evening protein drinks (not to mention a more varied diet these days), my butt and I have come to a grudging accord. In fact, I think there may even be a pattern of regularity starting to happen. This makes me happier than you can imagine. It makes me so happy, in fact, that yesterday after a low-key but successful trip to the bathroom, I literally patted myself on the ass and said "Good job, butt!"
I am having conversations with my butt, people. If that doesn't tell you how serious this issue had gotten, I don't know what will.
To sum up: 5 more pounds gone, vitamins make me ill, and my pooper is finally starting to work right. Could life be any better?
And so he did, and so I did, and....
5.3 down from last Thursday. Like magic! Except really it was all that anabolic state scientific stuff and not magic at all. And now I can say I've lost just over 20 pounds since the surgery last month and be Very Impressive. (And also stop being mopey.)
So there was that, which was really super awesome. But there are other things that are not really super awesome. Yesterday I did not go to the gym because I didn't get home until 8pm and it had been a definitely Not Awesome day on the body side.
(And now I am going to regale you with stories about my bodily functions so feel free to not read it if you are eating lunch or something. Or if you just don't like the word poop.)
Back in 2001, I worked at an academic research institution, which is as well known for its striking architecture (designed by Louis Kahn) as for its research (Frances Crick was a scientist in residence while I was there; he had very bushy eyebrows). And part of that striking architecture were breezeways that wrapped around the building, so that to get to the bathrooms, we had to go out on the walkway first. (Stay with me, I swear there's a point to this.) At the time I was working there, I was trying to be more healthy and started taking a daily multi-vitamin every morning, usually right after I ate breakfast at my desk because they had a tendency to make me nauseous. Well, one morning, I took my pill a little too long after I ate my oatmeal and soon I found myself running out the door and onto the breezeway trying desperately not to throw up.
I failed, miserably. Oatmeal barf was all over the breezeway and me, and it was most definitely not fun. And I realized that really, standard multi-vitamins were not for me, because I did not want to puke because of them. So I stuck to children's chewables, until the surgery.
And now I take 14 vitamin pills a day, split up over the hours between 8am and 10pm. (I told you my doctor is very proactive in deficiency treatment!) My morning pills are one B-1, 3 chewable iron, and one chewable multi-vitamin. I usually do them about 20-30 minutes after I eat breakfast, when there's still a little food in my stomach. But yesterday was busy, and I didn't take them for over an hour after breakfast, AND I took them too fast.
And then I spent 20 minutes in the bathroom throwing up, because vitamins still make me nauseous. Who knew?
I don't throw up often (this was only the third time, and this was the first time it wasn't because I ate too fast), but it does happen more easily. Something I don't exactly enjoy, that's for sure, and definitely a downside. At least it's a tolerable downside since A) it does not happen very often and B) even when it does, it's usually over super fast and relatively pain free for me.
Oh, and today? I did my chewables at the very end of my meal, with no waiting. And no nausea, go figure.
On top of the vitamin nausea yesterday, I've had the ongoing saga that is constipation (a saga I'm sure we've ALL been through). Lots & lots of protein + not much fiber = Unhappy Butt. Seriously, it was like my butt just forgot how to work all of a sudden! Before the surgery, I was one of those people who was a once a day, every day girl, so this whole "have to do an ab workout on the toilet" thing was making me not happy. My butt and I quickly became adversaries, warring it out every day as it teased me with a "gotta poop!" signal only to refuse to let go of the goods.
Thanks to the addition of Benefiber to my morning and evening protein drinks (not to mention a more varied diet these days), my butt and I have come to a grudging accord. In fact, I think there may even be a pattern of regularity starting to happen. This makes me happier than you can imagine. It makes me so happy, in fact, that yesterday after a low-key but successful trip to the bathroom, I literally patted myself on the ass and said "Good job, butt!"
I am having conversations with my butt, people. If that doesn't tell you how serious this issue had gotten, I don't know what will.
To sum up: 5 more pounds gone, vitamins make me ill, and my pooper is finally starting to work right. Could life be any better?
3 Comments:
A working pooper is a treasure beyond measure, to be sure.
I've realized as this WLS journey has gone along how much my digestive system affects my life. If I have not had a movement daily, I'm one unhappy girl. Once you are able to add them, fruits and vegetables will be your best friends. If I miss my yogurt and fruit in the morning I regret it for days afterward.
Oh girlfriend me and fiber are best buddies. But that was a habit of mine for about a decade before my surgery. Benefiber in EVERY protein drink. Plus anything else I can throw it in. And I do a quarter cup of freshly-ground flax seed every day. AND I take TWELVE FiberCon tablets every day. Yes I said TWELVE. That had been my pre-surgery habit and after I was able to take big pills again I got back to it. They work in your gut, not your stomach.
Oh yeah, I got NO probs in that area.
Dagny
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