Protein is the foundation of my diet. I can tolerate things like chicken (dark meat is best), turkey (although I seem to get fuller faster), fish & shell fish. I have had some beef but I don't really make a habit of having beef. I've had only ground beef and I was able to tolerate it but I just am not a big beef eater. My personal choice. As far as veggies go I can't really eat them mainly because by the time I get my protein in there is no room for any else. But if I do eat veggies they are usually not raw (too hard to digest) and they have to be cooked well. I love squash cooked well. In fact I had some tonight for dinner. The other thing I've found that I do good with is Dry Roasted Edamame. OMG, it is so good and has 14 grams of protein for 1/4 of a cup. To me they taste like nuts without all the fat. I will eat these as a snack just to help with the overall intake of protein for the day. The other proteins such as cheese, milk, yogurt and beans sit well for me too. I just don't have those as much since I lived off of them for awhile. I will add cheese to some items just for a little bit of added protein. I also use protein shakes to help me get in my protein. I try to use the whey isolate version since they absorb the fastest. I always make my shakes with milk for the added protein and also it usually makes them taste a bit better. I will have protein bars as well. The Quest protein bars are a little more friendly for me as they don't have a lot of carbs and sugar and come in delicious flavors. They are all natural as well which is what my diet consists of. There are other things that I will eat such as potatoes which are only eaten in small portions and are only eaten once in awhile. I don't do salads and I honestly miss them. I thought I wasn't much of a salad girl until they aren't part of my life. Maybe later on I will be able to tolerate a salad but right now it is just not going to happen.
As far as my workouts they are coming along great. I am so impressed with how much my body is changing physically. My stomach is significantly flatter, but don't get me wrong I'm not saying I have a flat stomach. I'm saying my stomach is smaller than my breasts (as far as sticking out) and that is something that a woman is proud of. My arms have a more defined shape (again just hate the hanging skin underneath). My legs are thinner although they are still large. I noticed I'm definitely not as wide as well. I am starting to be able to fit in most chairs which is a relief. I couldn't fit into any of the chairs at work at my highest weight and now I can sit in all of the chairs. Some aren't as comfortable but I know that will change too. My flexibility has improved tremendously. I remember when I couldn't lift my legs and touch my hands underneath and now I can with ease. Just so many little things that have changed. I'm sure with the fat not being in the way, that has also helped with some of the flexibility but I know the water yoga and water aerobics have also contributed as well.
My knees haven't improved much. Today they actually felt pretty good (knock on wood) but they still ache most of the time. I saw my doctor a few weeks ago and let him know how disappointing it was that I've lost 160+ pounds but not much improvement in my knees. He told me I need to be patient and that I will probably continue to feel pain for at least another year. He explained that they are healing. My tendons were stretched to accommodate the fat and as I lose weight they will be loosen up and with exercise they will tighten up but this won't happen over night. So this makes a lot of sense to me and I will just have to be patient. I am doing better I guess but they aren't where I wish they were. I will continue to be patient.
I still no longer have hunger pains. They say some people eventually get the hunger pains back and some don't ever get them back. I hope I don't ever get them back quite honestly but will accept whatever happens. I don't have any desire to eat sweets which is the biggest shocker. Sweets was my weakness post-op and I never crave anything sweet. What they say about getting it out of your system is true, if you don't eat it... you won't crave it. The things I will crave occasionally is a sandwich or a salad. I just can't eat bread so the sandwich thing really I can't do. I do eat the insides of a sandwich but it isn't the same. Also been craving one of my favorite shrimp salads. Eating just the shrimp isn't quite the same as eating the salad with all of the veggies, shrimp and salad dressing. Ironically I crave healthy things. Imagine that. I would have never imagined it nor would I have believed anyone if they told me I would be where I am today. Not only with my weight loss but with where my mind is. I'm in a good place overall.
I don't weigh in everyday as I was getting obsessed and disappointed with the scale. So I only weigh myself a few times a week. As of my last weigh-in (10/10) I've lost 90 pounds since surgery and 167 pounds total. I'm so impressed by these numbers. Wow... I am really doing it this time. I don't feel like it is a huge challenge and definitely feel like this is a lifestyle change that I can live with. YAY for me!
