Debra W.

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It's 2013,  that should tell me something.  since 2006 so much has happened.  My lowest weight was 198 which for me looke good as I am tall 5'1-10".  I had lost 112 lbs.  I was happy and satisfied with myself.  This I got a bit lazy and "learned to eat my favorite things again -  fried foods, sugar foods and salty foods otherwise known as comfort foods.  Still I only gained 20 lbs still under 220 lbs.  My big downfall came last year when I smoked my last cigarette.  I ballooned upward.  I didn't beat myself up during this period because NOT SMOKING was more important and I so needed to breathe.

Once I had mastered not smoking, I said goodbye to Diet Pepsi.  Now, please remember, I am 59 yrs old at the time I gave up Diet Pepsi.  I was a 2 Litre a day gal.  That's not an easy thing to do away with, but I perserved and removed it from my diet.  Of course I did substitute  Crystal Lite for the soda.  A better exchange but still not good for a person. However, I just kept my "eye" on the fact that I was changing my life style....not giving up something. 

So, for 6-8 months, I held my own.  No cigarettes, no pepsi, just water.  Lots and lots of water.  I still do have the occasional alcoholic beverage but still I mainly drink water.  Haven't had a pepsi since July 2012.

Here we are March 2013 and I figure it's time for the next step in my change.  No more eating the wrong foods.  Being a chocolate lover this is a difficult task for me.  I love milk chocolate, chocolate cake, chocolate ice cream chocolate anything! If i'm not eating chocolate, then it's something salty, peanuts, (I fooled myself into thinking they were healthy because they are protien!) Pringles...jeez do I love Pringles! plain original Pringles!  1 can a day...along with a couple of Hersey bars and a bag of Gummy Bears...and I'm in heaven.  So, I pulled up my big girl pants and found an iphone app for counting calories and I began.

This part of my journey hasn't been bad either.  I consistently stick to the 1300 calories the iphone app recommended for me based on my age height and weight.  I log EVERYTHING that goes into my mouth.  I eat apples, and bananas, have inventive salads with salad dressings I actually like to taste.We eat lean meats and I bought a digital scale and never eat more than a 3 oz portion of meat.  I bought myself a fancy new blender to make healthy smoothies to have for breakfast and I bought a travel blender to have a work so there would be no excuse to have something out of the fat vending machine.  On the days when I don't feel like being super good, I call Jimmy Johns and have a Turkey Tom Unwich. which is less than 300 calories and tastes great!!  I am learning to use seasonings and not fat.

I do have a husband at home so meals are being cooked, but that doesn't mean I have to over cook.  I only cook my portion and my husband's portion.  No more of cooking 6 of something just to so I don't have to cook later.  You all know leftovers in a fat persons house aren't really left over, they are just eaten later.

At the end of March, I have lost a total of 11 lbs and i don't feel like I have struggled!  Ok..1 week I did struggle and that was because we had pizza.  Pizza set off my carb cravings, pizza made me hungry for 3 days afterwards.  I would have never believed that 3 slices of pizza could wreck that much havoc on my body and mind but it did!  No more pizza in my house until I reach my goal and even then, won't happen unless I really want to celebrate!  Any time I think I want to splurge with pizza, I'm going to read this blog!

Now for the next step in my "LIVE TO LIVE" lifestyle - walking!  I'm not even going to say exercise, because I'm not doing that at this time.  1 step at a time...that's my new mantra.  When I have mastered getting up every morning an hour earlier just to walk for 30 minutes then I'll think about adding to the walking.  For now, I am getting up and walking!  I'm not walking fast, I'm not walking far, I'm just walking for 30 minutes.  Period.

I turn 60 in 18 days and I want to be able to really enjoy my life.  I want to rough and tumble with the grandkids and live to see them marry. So, at this point, there is no ending, only my beginning.....with 1 step at a time, no rush, no hurry just.....LIVE!

Well, back from the doc's again...this time I know where the infection is!  It has nothing to do with the surgery and everything to do with a "split" in my heel where the bacteria was able to creep in!  Now I'm on a antibiotic "cocktail" and I should be much better by the time I go see Dr. Schramm on Thursday.  Whew!  I'll sleep better tonite..;)

This will be a bit long as I have a week to catch up.  I had the surgery on 10/23/06 and all was well.  No complications, no problems, I had been up walking getting in all my water.  I was released 10/25 to make a 3 hr drive home.  Of course that is stopping every 1 hour for a 10 minutes walk.  When we got started I didn't think I would have my husband stop but after an hour on Interstate 94, I was ready for a break!  Bellies giggle!

At any rate my first 4 days at home were great!  I was getting in my 64+ oz of water, plus all my protien every day and I was taking pain meds maybe twice a day!  Walking on my treadmill, watching my body begin to shrink.  All was great!  Then, yesterday, I woke, feeling sluggish, achey and just not feeling well.  I showered dressed and fixed a shake.  But then I was cold, and exhausted so I curled up on the couch with my blankie and quickly went to sleep.

4 hrs later when I woke up, I was weak, dizzy, light headed and running a 102.3 degree fever!!!! My legs ached, hurt and were sore! Needless to say, I just headed off to the emergency room!

7 hrs later, I was released, with a prescription for an antibiotic after having had xray's, blood cultures, urinalysis, and and IV antibiotic. They just know I have an infection, just don't know where.  I also now have a follow up appt with Dr. Schramm for sooner than the normal one.

Today, I do feel better but now and I will be going to my PCP today, because my right leg has an angry red patch on the back of calf just above the ankle! It's hot it's sore and maybe that's the infection.  Anyway, that's where I'll be headed soon.

Now, I am not complaining, I am still extremely happy with the RNY procedure and it has not caused me 1 bit of problems!  I think that having had the surgery, my resistance was low and I got a different kind of infection.

So..that has been first week on my new journey! A few bumps but nothing that I can't handle.