As of today, it has been one month since my surgery. It seems like much longer, but given how dramatically it has changed how much attention I pay to everyday things like eating, I guess that makes sense.
I’m down 38 pounds from my peak on December 28. Depending on my goal (aggressive vs. acceptable), I’ve got 56 to 76 pounds to go. After the initial extremely rapid weight loss, I’ve settled into a pretty steady four pounds or so per week, which would put me at target around the end of the school year. I expect that rate to slow somewhat, so I’m hoping for July or so.
I’ve had virtually no complications so far. No dumping syndrome (though I have been good about avoiding sugar and large amounts of fat), no surgical complications. I’m able to walk for easily an hour at a time, and more when I like. My appearance is definitely changing, in ways I’m happy about. Blood sugar is normal, especially when I’m being vigilant about exercise.
I had my first set of labs. My A1C is the highest it’s been by a smidge (7%), but that’s a three-month average, which includes the period just before the surgery, when I was not being very compliant about medication. Uric acid is high, but the doctors don’t seem too concerned about that (I am, because I am somewhat prone to kidney stones, which SUCK, but one thing at a time). Kidney function is normal. Sodium is normal, potassium and chloride are a bit low. My guess is mild dehydration (it’s very hard to get enough fluids when you can drink about 4 oz. an hour!), causing low potassium via aldosterone. The low potassium was the only one they were concerned about, and so they put me on a short course of potassium chloride tablets, to be tested again in a week.
Cholesterol is interesting. My total is 75, with HDL of 24 and LDL of 33. That’s lower than is good for HDL, but the total/HDL ratio is about 3, which is very good. I am taking atorvastatin, which may be responsible for the low overall cholesterol.
I’m still on mostly liquid protein, but I’m experimenting with adding other foods. Beans and cheeses are staples for me now. I haven’t really tried any high-carbohydrate foods. I did decide to try some canned pork and beans, which was a comfort food for me, the other night. I drained off much of the sugary liquid and put about 2 oz. of beans in a bowl. I did eat them pretty quickly, and then–foolishly–drank a bit too much water too soon thereafter. This led to some very uncomfortable gurgling and pain, feelings like something was caught around by heart, sour, thick spit in my mouth, and then–for the first time in about 30 years–I threw up. It was a kind of fascinating experience. Not painful, and entirely missing the stomach acid which (I hear) makes vomiting such an unpleasant experience–just lots of saliva and beans, and then I felt much better. And now I have a much better sense of my limits. I don’t know for sure how much of that was too much food/water and how much might have been a reaction to the pork and beans in particular, but I’ll avoid them for a while in any case.
Food is still very tempting–I want flavor and texture, more than feeling especially hungry (though I do have some appetite returning). But I’m able to resist temptation.