To smoke or not to smoke.....that is the question!

Day 16 - 242 lbs
Total Lost - 38 lbs

So, it's Day 16 and I'm still stuck on liquids but today....yes today I picked the first cucumber off my plants outside and just had to have the first bite...I cut it in half and then in spears...I took small bites and chewed that up - I ate the whole half and didn't feel sick...

Then Rob made dinner which was boneless ribs on the grill...I thought...oh well...let's see if I can stomach that...I cut a piece up in small bites and more solid food went down without a hitch...woo hooo!!!

I went to the surgeon (Dr. Renza) on Thursday for my 2 week checkup and thought I had stitches but nope...she only used glue to seal those incisions up...and get this...she said I could go back to work the very next day...UMMMM...YEAH RIGHT....I begged her to let me stay home another week - damn...it's summer out there and I want at least a week where I'm feeling good to be able to lay out in the sun and maybe take a trip down the shore.

Here is my question for the day......

How many smokers quit right before the surgery and then go back to it afterwards??

I've smoked since I have been around 10 years old.  Right now is the longest in my life, I have ever gone without smoking.  I wanted this surgery bad enough that I knew it was either quit or stay fat.

I quit cold turkey with a hookah pen (vapor pen) with 0mg of Nicotine Liquid.  It was hard cause I was also on my clear liquid diet before the surgery....that was freaking tough...then I was freaking out cause I didn't know if I was going to pass the Nicotine Blood Test a few days before the surgery.

So now that I'm feeling better, I'm starting to get cravings for a smoke.  It's clear as day that smoking after this surgery can cause ulcers and delayed healing....plus I can breathe again without huffing...I walk outside and don't lose my breath.

I don't want to go back to smoking but the cravings are getting worse every day - I guess I'm going to have to break out the hookah pen again and hope that will satisfy my cravings.

Need Help - What are some tricks to take crushed pills/vitamins?

Day 11 - 247 lbs
Total Lost - 33 lbs

So today I took my diet a step further and made myself a scrambled egg for lunch.  Mixed in a bit crushed red pepper and onion bits.  Best damn egg I had in a long time.

For dinner I continued with the soft foods and made myself a packet of Oatmeal with Skim Milk.

I know I'm supposed to wait till Week 6 to start soft foods but this just ain't kicking it anymore.  I feel so hungry all the time and Rob even said today that I am being bi-polar.

This satisfies my stomach for today so tomorrow I'll go back to the liquid diet.

So....here is my dilemna for today.....I can't stand the taste of my chewables - especially the Calcium Citrate.

Are there any cool tricks to try for getting all my pills down that I won't even taste them?

On a daily basis I am on -

1 - 100 mg Zoloft (break in half and swallow)
1 - 75 mg Synthoid for Thyroid (break in half and swallow)
1/2 - 250 mg B1 (swallowed)
2 - Chewable Multivitiams (chewed with a sour face)
2 - Chewable Calcium Citrate (chewed later in day with a sour face)

I tried crushing my normal pills and putting them in Applesauce but it was so bitter, I found myself gagging.

So if anyone out there has the same problem or has any ideas for this regiment....comment away and I'll try!

Is this all I can eat?

Day 10 - 249.2 lbs
Lost - 30.8 lbs

So, I'm 10 days out of surgery and 10 days into my "clear" liquid diet.  Am I sticking to just clear liquids?  Hell, NO!

So today for breakfast - I had 2 cups of decaf coffee with a bit of Almond Milk and 2 teaspoons of Splenda.



For lunch, I had my FABULOUS FUCKING protein shake.....2 scoops of pure protein added to 16 oz of Apple Juice and filled to the brim with water.  Shaken - not stirred.  Sip on that 28 ozs for the next so many hours.  Shhhh....but yeah, I've been sneaking Wint-o-Green Life Savers (my new addiction).



For dinner - Now this is where I'm going to give you a little bit of advice....I tried the chicken broth, the beef broth, the vegetable broth, the mexican tortilla broth, hot & spicy broth....YOU NAME IT!  I am fucking done with broth!  So, I have been cheating and will have a bit of cream soup - but that isn't what I was going to mention.

Use your imagination when it comes to what you can define as "clear" ----- man, if you like Chinese food, then get your better half's ass over to the take -out and explain to them that there is someone at home who is VERY VERY ASTRONOMICALLY hangry and to please give you a quart of won-ton soup without the won-ton.  Then say to them....my husband/wife just had surgery and can only have clear liquids - I know the price of the soup is with the won-ton noodles, so by not getting them, does that mean I get 2 quarts for the price of one?

Yummmm.....won-ton soup!  Another trick I use is to buy Campbell's Soup Chicken Noodle and strain out the chicken and noodles.  It's the taste...the broth is so much more flavorful than just the plain broth.

And another one...but this didn't work out too well.  I took Campbell's Beef Barley Soup and put it in the blender and crushed that shit up for soup.  Nope...it was the goddamn beef - I forgot it takes our stomachs longer to learn how to digest red meat again.

And TRUST ME when I tell you that because our stomachs are still trying to figure out what the fuck happened to the other 80% of our stomachs....our intestines and colon aren't going to be happy either.

Ummmmm, yeah - you guessed it - that nasty shit is gonna come out one way or another...and the kick I get out of it is - my boyfriend Rob and I sit in recliners next to each other - well the fan passes by me first and then blows directly on him.  Bwhahahahaa...yeah you guessed it - I let them rip (trying to keep them silent) and wait for - wait for it - UGH DAMN WOMAN, DID YOU SHIT YOURSELF?  I just look over innocently at him and say...."I can't help it honey"

So - watch what you experiment with food wise.

And if you feel like you are hungry but each time you take a teaspoon full of something and still feel those hunger pains.....

THOSE AREN'T HUNGER PAINS!

Those be gas pains!! And the more you eat trying to satisfy your hunger...the more it's gonna hurt.  Yeah...that's another mistake I made!!

So, I'm gonna leave you off with a great recipe I found for water ice you can make yourself.

Watermelon chunks
lime juice
splenda
salt

Mix that shit together into a smoothie and put it in the freezer overnight - with our tiny stomachs...that bitch will last for days!

Ciao ♥

Welcome!

Hi everyone!!

My name is Carol Allen and this is my story of being overweight and finally doing something about it.

I know it's a bit after the fact and I should have started this blog way before my surgery but hell, it's better late than never.

If you are thinking of weight loss surgery, in the process, or years after - this website is for you!

I will discuss my days after surgery - the struggles I deal with - the daily weight loss - the daily menu and my emotions.

I will also go back and share with you some of the testing and struggles I had to go through in order to get here.

So let me start here......

My highest weight - 280 lbs

My weight before surgery - 255 lbs

My weight today - 249.2

My surgery was done on July 9, 2014 at Aria Bariatric Center, Torresdale Campus in Philadelphia.  My surgeon is Dr. Renza and she fucking rocks!!

I'm going to be honest with you and not give you the shit that you need to hear.  I don't follow the rules perfectly.  I cheat on this and sometimes I pay the price!

I am hoping as time goes on - I can add a chat room so we can all support each other and read each other's stories.

I would love for you to share before and after pictures of yourself and also ask questions.  I'll answer honestly but I don't know everything about this. I can only promise to try my best.

You will see advertisements on the side of the blog for what I use - I have shopped everywhere and found the best priced, best tasting (my opinion) products for my journey.