Yesterday I had my 6-Week Post Op VSG appointment, and the news was all good.
As I mentioned in a previous post, my blood pressure was in the normal range, which felt great. I used to worry about putting that cuff on, but now I’m confident that the numbers will be good from here on out.
First I met with the surgeon, who told me that I looked great. He said my incisions are healing beautifully, that my workouts were really impressive, and that my weight loss was going at a good pace. It was the last time I’d be meeting with him, which was bittersweet. He pushed me, challenged me, and motivated me to reach the pre-op weight requirement. He told it to me straight, and showed a bit of tough love, which I really appreciated. It’s going to be strange to head up to the Fremont Bariatric department and not see him. But I guess it shows that I’m moving on into the rest of my life.
Then I met with the nutritionist, who was extremely impressed with my detailed food logs; I printed out the past two weeks of diaries from MyFitnessPal. She complimented my organization and meticulousness, and I told her that I actually really liked putting as much info as I could into my entries. I really recommend MFP to anyone who wants to keep track of what they’re eating and how they’re exercising. Plus, I love the support I get from all my friends on there. It’s really amazing.
She checked my vitamins, and recommended that I make a few changes.
- Multivitamin: I bought a more complete multivitamin, which now includes iron. Because of the iron, I now need to take my calcium separately from now on. (Iron blocks the body from fully absorbing calcium).
- Calcium Citrate: The soft chews I’ve been taking are good, but I’m only getting in 1000mg of calcium, instead of the recommended 1500mg. So I’ll still be taking 4 of those, but I also bought another chewable that will get me to my 1500mg goal. Since the soft chews are 15 calories each, I didn’t want to add in two more a day. For me, “spending” 60 calories on the soft chews are worth it, especially with the workouts I get in, and they’ve been great to take as a treat because they satisfy my sweet craving. The chewable is perfect because it’s only 7 calories. Who knows, if I like it, I may just take 3 of them a day instead. All of these vitamins also include Vitamin D, since it helps the body absorb calcium better.
- B1: I haven’t been taking B1, but the nutritionist recommended that I put it back in my daily routine, because among other things, it promotes a healthy metabolism. No arguing with that.
- B12: I’d been taking the sublingual B12 three times a week, but the nutritionist said that I could drop it down to twice a week.
- Vitamin D: I’d been taking a daily does of 5000mg of D, in addition to the 1000mg I’m getting in the soft chews, and she told me it was too much. She recommended buying a 1000mg to take daily.
- Iron + C: The chewable I’d been taking wasn’t the correct form of iron, so I bought another one that will be correct.
In addition, I’m also taking a preventative gall bladder medication, and Pepcid for heartburn prevention.
When I complained that I didn’t feel like I was losing weight quickly enough, she took a close look at my logs, and said that while she thought my weight loss was steady, she did think that I might want to try cutting carbs a bit. It’s been something I’ve been thinking of, too, so I’m glad that she recommended it. She said she’d like to see me eating 600-800 calories/day (which I have been) and getting in 60-75g protein (which I have been). She wants me to try to get the protein in with real food, rather than protein shakes, and now that I’m on Stage 4, which increases my protein portion from 2oz to 3oz, it should be easier.
Stage 4 is going to be wonderful! I really think it’s going to be where my weight loss thrives.
- All sources of protein are now open to me. The only thing they say to hold off on is steak, which they recommend trying after 6-9 months. I’m looking forward to turkey burgers, shrimp, chicken, and ground beef. (Along with the tilapia, salmon, etc that I’ve been enjoying).
- Raw veggies!!!! Hello, SALADS, I’ve missed you. Along with cucumbers and bell peppers. The crunch that raw veggies offer are going to be a perfect substitute for the carb-heavy crackers/wasa bread I’ve been having.
Since I want to take full advantage of the “sweet spot” the first 6-9 months offer me to lose the largest amount of weight, I’m going to keep the non-produce carbs very limited for now. I’ll still have some carbs once in a while and on special occasions, but as a general rule my daily food plan won’t include them.
I’m happy that I’ve received a clean bill of health, and I’m looking forward to improving from here.
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BTW, this is my 1400th blog post, which seems like cause for a bit of fanfare, so if you’ll indulge me…
Bella on the Beach 