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[bullybrakes]

This is nuts

I'd say I can't believe I've now lost A WHOLE FOOT in my bust, but uh. You can definitely tell. 🤣 #wheredtheygo

The neck measurement has me the most excited though because that means I have finally eliminated one of the risk factors for sleep apnea. I have noticed my sleep has improved and my snoring has gone away, so I am very hopeful that at my sleep medicine appointment in August I can get another sleep study done and maybe not have to use the CPAP anymore. That was one of my major goals for this surgery so it would be great to tick that one off the list.

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Busted down that 80 lb barrier this morning!

I look and feel like a new person. This journey has been wild and I can't wait to see where else it takes me.

I've also had a few non-scale victories lately, including dropping another pants size, pulling on a hoodie that was too small when we bought it at a concert in September and finding it is now too big, and hauling myself back up a steep hill in Richmond that would have kicked my butt a couple months ago while keeping up with my super active runner/cyclist friend. Normally I'm huffing, puffing, and asking her for a break but not this time. 💃🏼

I haven't updated my measurements in a while so I think I'm going to have Bobby help me with that this evening. Hoping for another pleasant surprise!

Now I need to get this dress I'm wearing to an upcoming wedding tailored. Lesson learned - I can't shop too far in advance these days!

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Officially 70 lbs down as of this morning!

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Phase 4 and a Vacation!

I was sent to San Diego for a work conference last week. Logistically it was a bit challenging, considering that at the time I was only 1 month out from my bypass. I had to do a lot of planning and prepping to make sure I could hit my fluid and protein goals without getting TSA'ed. I brought some packets of chicken, small portions of protein powder, Gatorade zero, and water flavorings in my carryon bag and got through just fine. I was able to get decaf coffee at Starbucks once I made it through security, so I just added my protein powder to that. In the future I will have to remember to bring my milk frother or a shaker bottle because it didn't mix super well with a spoon, but I was able to hit my goals without triggering a cavity search so I'm calling it a win.

At the hotel I was able to nibble on some shakshuka for breakfast and I finally got the go ahead to start incorporating cooked, non-starchy vegetables and hot cereals! I have never been so excited for broccoli and oatmeal in my life. The hotel I stayed in even provided aluminum reusable water bottles in the room, so I was never without. After a quick grocery run for some nibbles (Sabra hummus cups, a small container of vanilla protein powder, microwaveable lentils, and some low-carb instant oatmeal) , I was set. Another lesson learned though - microwaves and functioning refrigerators are not always standard in boutique hotels. But I was able to get them delivered to my room, which was nice and made meals while I was there much more budget friendly. I had forgotten how expensive San Diego was. Gas was $6.37 a gallon downtown! Our hotel was very unique, and I enjoyed our brief stay. And can we talk about the lighting in this bathroom? This was also the first time I got to bust out the business clothes donated to me by another surgical patient from my practice. I have one of these blazers in pretty much every color and I'm so stoked.

After the conference wrapped up and Bobby joined me, we visited some of our old haunts including Point Loma where he proposed, Coronado where we used to take a much smaller Archer to play on the dog beach, and we walked through our old neighborhood downtown.

Bobby hit his favorite breweries and restaurants (well, the ones that are still around a decade and a pandemic later anyway) and I was able to enjoy myself as well. At one point I realized I probably looked like a loon when I realized I had ordered decaf coffee (a sin), no beer at a brewery, and then proceeded to eat the filling of a singular taco from my taco flight with a fork using the world's tiniest bites. The waitress was perplexed but didn't say anything at the very least.

We eventually left San Diego and headed up the Pacific Coast Highway to Santa Cruz in our rental, which somehow ended up being a Camaro despite us reserving a sedan. No complaints there! While there we checked off several bucket list items including hiking through the redwoods and whale watching in Monterey Bay. I also scrambled along the rocky shores at the Point Loma tidepools which we never seemed to time correctly when we lived there previously.

We did have one casualty on our hike - my trusty 64 oz glass water bottle/weapon, Greenie. May she rest in (recycled) pieces.

The best part of the trip though was keeping up with Bobby. There were lots of hills and stairs and climbing on our outdoorsy adventures that not too long ago would have left me huffing and puffing. Not anymore! What's not to love - giant trees (we stood up in one with room to move), whales just doing their thing (outside of an aquarium!), protected wildlife areas, SEA OTTERS, banana slugs the size of well, actual bananas, and quality time with the hubs. Overall, I finally feel like I'm thriving instead of just surviving. I'm starting to live life the way I have wanted to for so, so long. No regrets.

And look at this cute treehouse tucked away in the redwoods where we stayed. Does it get any cuter!?

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Behold - dinner! 1 oz of chicken salad. 😁

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Phase 3!

I got the text message today that I could move into the soft protein stage! We had a hectic day (hubs landed himself in the ER) and wanted to have a relaxing evening so we decided to go for a walk at the beach since it was so nice. I was still a little nervous about walking on the sand since that can work your core a bit and I'm still only 2 weeks out, so we decided to go walk on the boardwalk. It's a Tuesday night in the office season, how much of a hassle could it possibly be?

We forgot spring break existed y'all. 🤣 It was PACKED. Since it had been a long day and Bobby was hungry, we decided to hit Repeal, one of our favorite restaurants. I figured if push came to shove I could at least get a burger patty and pick off of that for a bit. Instead I got the caprese stack appetizer and nibbled on some mozzarella, tomatoes, and pesto. We joked that it probably looked like I was doing that girl on a first date routine - "Oh just a salad for me!", "I'm so full!" (after six bites). We got a kick out of it and Bobby got to sample a very rare whisky he has been looking for.

All in all a good night. And to make matters even better, the food sat just fine which I was a little worried about given all of the traffic between us and home.

So far I've tried a tiny bit of ground pork (accidentally), a deviled egg on Easter, some hummus, and now caprese, all without issue. I am definitely more aware of the restriction with solid food than with liquids, so I will have to listen closely to my body over the next few weeks. But hey, that's really what this is all about.

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Hit all my goals today!

60 grams of protein, 65 oz of fluids, and over 10,000 steps!

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I. Am. Constantly. Freezing.

I did not miss blood thinners. I'd noticed it even before surgery (I guess losing 50+ lbs of insulation will do that) but it's worse since starting the Lovenox. Thankfully that bit is only 3 weeks. It'll be interesting to see if it improves after or if losing that much really made that much of a difference.

If this makes me a summer lover I might have a damn identity crisis! 🤣

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5 Days Post-Op

So far, so good. I haven't needed any of the heavier pain medication that was prescribed since night 2 (and even then I was only taking a half dose, just to ensure good sleep). The gas pains from the surgical gas are gone now. I haven't been nauseous in 3 days - in fact I've barely touched the Zofran they gave me at discharge. I think I've taken one dose?

Small sips every five minutes have been getting me through the day and smashing my fluids goals. They currently want me hitting 64 oz a day and for the last two days I've been finishing up in the high 70s. A Gatorade zero a day keeps my electrolytes in balance which seems to help with the nausea and my energy levels.

Now I just have to work on meeting my protein goals, which the dietician said might take a while. I started off reaching a consistent 30 grams a day and as of last night I have increased to 35 grams. My goal is 60, so I am working up to that slowly. My goal today is 40 grams.

I'm mostly drinking warm or room temp things, which seems to sit a little better. A friend delivered some chicken soup last night and the broth was out of this world. My friends and family have been so wonderful.

One thing I've noticed is that I am becoming much more intuitive about eating and drinking. I've noticed that thicker and higher protein things like yogurt need to have a little more time between bites or sips, just based on how my tummy reacts. I've noticed that I start to burp and my nose starts to run a little when I'm full and need to take a break. If I could recommend one thing about this entire process, it would be to listen to your body and go slowly. Your tummy will tell you. Except for hunger which I have yet to experience, so I am living my life by phone timers and alarms. That should be interesting once I go back to work.

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I left the house!

Today Mom and I went to a semi-annual clothing swap at the surgeon's office. Everyone brings in their clothes that no longer fit and it works since everyone is at a different point in their weight loss journey. I had so much fun shopping and I was able to get rid of all of my size 22 pants and 2x and 3x shirts! I left with two suits for my new job, a bunch of cute blouses, some leggings that will work well under the sweaters I held onto for the last few chilly days, and some jeans! Depending on the brand and the cut, I'm anywhere from a 16 to a 20, but even the 20s are on the loose side so I don't think I'll be there for long. I have NEVER enjoyed shopping so this is a very new feeling.

Even better than the clothes though was the fact that all of the women there were so welcoming and encouraging. It was great to be in a place where literally every person understood what I'm going through. We were quite the mixed bag, but we all had weight loss surgery in common. Apparently these swaps happen twice a year and they have frequent meet ups. I am looking forward to spending more time with this lil community. 😁

At the end of the swap, whatever is leftover is donated. I remembered the caring closet from when I worked at the hospital which is right next door and suggested that some of the clothes go there. Whenever I was rifling through there for a patient who was a non-standard size, there was hardly anything for them. Well, today they're receiving bags of items in ALL sizes. I'm calling today a win all around.

But uh...now I need a nap. ✌🏼😴

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Managed to eat an entire one of these bad boys this evening. It took me two hours but I DID IT.

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Hydration first is the way to go.

I'm already up to 32 oz of fluids today and I'm feeling so much better. My tummy is tolerating the strained pho broth well, I'm trying different drink flavors including Gatorade zero, I have more energy, and the gas pains are easing up. The best thing is that I'm not having the nausea and spasms I was having yesterday. This will be my new game plan moving forward. Fluids first, then protein. So. Much. Better.

Another feather in my cap - I've officially lost 53 lbs since starting the journey, so I've blown past my first 50 lb marker. Very exciting. I think the last time I saw numbers like these was during college. 😁

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Yesterday I got cocky.

I think I pushed too hard on the protein because the nausea and gas pains were way worse than the day before. I almost threw up once, which I am desperately afraid of doing.

Then again, the day before I was probably still somewhat reaping the benefits from the IV pain meds at the hospital. So my plan for today is to concentrate on hitting my fluid goals and then see about protein. For now this ginger peach tea is coming in clutch. Warm liquids seem to sit better than cold ones.

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Day Two

Day two is off to a good start. I slept through the night for 10 hours, only waking up to take my Tylenol as scheduled. I probably could have slept longer, but I didn't want to cut too far into the time I have available for drinking and getting protein on board. Shout-out to my mother in law for letting me borrow her rechargeable sequential compression devices for my legs - I think they gave me extra peace of mind overnight knowing I didn't have to worry about any blood clots forming while they were on.

My husband has also been a saint, including both rescuing and then troubleshooting my CPAP machine when the Velcro that wraps around the cord got stuck to my pajama pants leg, resulting in me yanking the whole unit off of my bedside table and into the void between the wall and the bed. He's constantly checking on me - how's my liquid intake, did I take my pain meds on time, did I take my blood thinner, do I want the compression devices, tucking me in and making sure I'm comfortable. My parents have also been delightful, even coming over to help me walk the dogs which I desperately need (because moving is good) but can't do yet because of the lifting/pulling/pushing restrictions that I currently have to follow.

My pain is well controlled with Tylenol, for which I am very thankful. I'm starting off the morning sipping some ginger peach decaf tea, watching the birds at the feeders and my dogs having morning zoomies around the yard, and just feeling very grateful.

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Well we've busted out of the hospital and I am resting up at home. I am currently posted up in the backyard watching my bird feeders with Nurse Pumpkin standing by. She is DEEPLY concerned with the way I smell and has not left my side.

Overall I'm feeling pretty good considering I just had surgery yesterday. I've already passed my minimum fluid goal so once this drink is done I am going to try something with some protein in it to see how that sits. I even walked around in the grocery store for a few minutes when we stopped to get a thermometer. A heating pad on my shoulders has helped the gas pain sensation there significantly so I think that will be my new best friend for a couple days.

I'm surprised and pleased to feel as good as I do. I won't be running any marathons any time soon, but I expected to feel more acutely miserable and that hasn't been the case to date. It feels like things can only improve from here.

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Surgery day!

Well. It's finally happening. At this point I am more excited than nervous, which is good. I am also the cleanest I think I have ever been courtesy of 2 pre-op Dial showers. 🤣

I'm ready to get this thing done and to turn that corner into a new chapter.

The biggest of thank yous and a bear hug to my support network and their support network! I wouldn't be at this point without the support and encouragement I've experienced over the last few months. Please send good vibes to Bobby, my family, and my surgical team. ❤️

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Progress - July 23 to March 24

Weight lost: 47 lbs

Bust: -6 in

Waist: -5 in

Hips: -2 in

Thighs: -4 in (each)

Arms: -1 in

Neck: 0 in

There have been some obvious visual changes too. I'm glad I thought to take photos along the way. That's definitely something I am going to keep doing. Although this is certainly the first time I've ever posted anything like this somewhat publicly, which is scary. But I think it's important to see - no posing, no "sucking it in" - visually confronting what has happened is important to the journey.

And one cuter one, because why the fuck not? 😁