#southernstateofmind

[broggenkamp]

All about the south and mermaids! Kinda missing Arkansas a little bit #nautical #southernstateofmind

[streamlinecycles]

Happy Thanksgiving Y'all... We are thankfull for you. #texas #longhorn #cattle #ranch #country #southernstateofmind #bicycle #bikeshop #turkey #mashedpotato #nogreenbean #thankfullforyall (at Colorado River Bridge at Bastrop)

[brokenpiecesofmyself]

Nothing like that Great Smoky Mountain air to bring out that #southernstateofmind (at Gatlinburg, Tennessee)

[dreamimpossiblethings89]

Sweet home Alabama. #SweetHomeAlabama #AlabamaSunset #Summernights #Springstorms #sunshineandfootsteps #southerncharm #Southernstateofmind #southerncharm (at Huntsville, Alabama)

[hopeabargeron]

it's a habit to chill in the street at night

[lotusmindtime]

Keep on spinnin’

July 13 2015

I have to apologize for the long pause before this post. It has been a hard road and I kind of feel not as organized as I was before the surgery. I can’t explain exactly what happens after surgery but for me, it was profound. My mind is literally changing, Food is no longer the answer so something else has to be. I have thought about picking up a hobby, like crochet or painting again. Post op drives you to do something other than fill your belly. Although food is very important every day. I have to be very diligent about eating enough protein every day and drinking enough water. The interesting thing is, yesterday I ate more than I have eaten in almost 3 weeks now and I lost a pound this morning. This is a small victory because I have hit a small plateau. I know you are thinking how could she already have hit a plateau, but I learned from bariatricpal.com forums that this is normal. My body is constantly adjusting and healing and getting itself right. I have to be patient and realize I am not going to lose pounds every day. That is unrealistic. People on the forums suggested I only weigh myself once a week for good measure. So let’s talk food. I journal everything I eat through fitness pal. This helps me set goals for protein and fat and stick to it. It also helps me track what foods aren’t agreeing with me. Like for instance lemonade is not good for me. It contains too much sugar and overwhelms my pouch. I made a small chile relleno casserole last night with finely chopped shredded chicken mixed with a little enchilada sauce and roasted poblanos topped with cheese. I realized it was a little high in fat but the protein was high and it was soft enough to eat and I had no problems. I had one square and it was just enough. A couple hours later I wanted something sweet. I decided to make a dessert. I absolutely love to cook and it makes me feel normal. I made sugar free banana cream pudding and added fat free cool whip on top with sliced fresh banana. I had a heaping spoonful and it was delicious. Now I realize the dessert really has no nutritional value but it helped with the cravings. 

Another thing I want to talk about is the emotional struggle. It is real. Honestly I would recommend seeing a therapist or a minister to help with this part. There is a reason people get this big and a reason they use food to cope. I am struggling with this now. I have been in a toxic relationship and it took a lot of soul searching to cut it off. I deserve better. I need to take care of myself. I don’t need someone to be whole. There I said it. Feels so good. The time will come for me to have a family but now I have to focus on my well being inside and out. I will try to be more consistent with my posts! 

Signing off for now- 

Kristi

[lotusmindtime]

Back to Work...

July 5 2015

Hello tumblr world! I am back to work today and so far I am doing pretty good. My energy level is good and my amazing clients and coworkers are keeping me going. I truly love them! 

So I have to vent about what happen to me the other day. My family went and got Rosa’s Cafe for dinner. I had a potato soup and as we sat down for dinner I just started to bawl...uncontrollably I might add. I retreated to the bedroom and continued to sob. My sister came in and consoled me. She said it was ok to feel this way. I knew in my heart I was mourning the food. I was losing the ability to cope. Whatever reason I was using food to cope, I am no longer allowed to use. I have to redirect my coping to something other than food. I decided to take a walk. And I felt proud of myself for wanting to take a walk instead of something else. It was enlightening though. I realize this is a mental battle as much as a physical battle. I want to be able to blast through this in the best way possible. Healthiest way possible. 

Also this weekend it was the Fourth of July and we celebrated by going to an old fashioned family picnic at Concert in the Garden in Fort Worth with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. It was amazing !! And it was my first real outing. It made me feel normal. The next day I felt it though. I overdid it a bit but it was so worth it. My sister arranged everything and let me just say ...Stephanie you are the most amazing sister. I am so blessed to have you in my life. I’m posting some pictures below of our fireworks fun!

Overall I am adjusting to real life. I am hungry for real food but I keep looking at recipes on pinterest that I will be able to have after soft foods. Basically I search for low/no carb recipes and high protein recipes. These include amazing salads, wraps using deli turkey,shredded chicken and black bean casseroles, and quinoa buffalo bites! Yum! I will post some recipes soon. 

Signing off for now-

Kristi

[lotusmindtime]

I’m Back!

July 2 2015

Well hello everyone! It has been awhile since I have blogged about my surgery. My surgery was about a week ago...last Wednesday to be exact. I should definitely explain what happened to me. First of all I want to start by saying that my fears melted away when I got to the hospital. I was ready. Plus they did give me some serious anxiety meds before going in. As they wheeled me in I could hear music in the operating room. I thought to myself “my surgeon know what she’s doing”. In recovery there was a lot of pain and discomfort. And I mean discomfort. I was reeling and begging them to give me something. They have to pump your body up with air to move around and afterward it literally feels like you are going to blow up. After the initial pains and discomfort were under control I slept and slept. Later that afternoon I felt the need to go to the bathroom. I attempted to get up without a nurse around although my mom and sister were there. As soon as a stood up, my eyes rolled into the back of my head and I urinated where I was standing and passed out. The next thing I knew there were people everywhere in my room. They called a code blue.Crash cart and everything. People were yelling at me to snap out of it. One man named Moses (a nurse with long dreadlocks) lifted me up like I weighed nothing and was tapping me awake. Later I would consider this a sign. God was watching over me. Later that night I needed to use the bathroom again and lets just say I expelled a huge amount of blood. I told the nurse and they immediately did a blood count. My blood was 7%. Normally people should be double that amount. I needed a blood transfusion. It seemed like my blood was going up until they found I was still losing blood from somewhere. I was praying they wouldn’t have to go back in to surgery. They decided to give me a second blood transfusion along with some plasma. This worked. My body finally stopped bleeding and my blood counts were steadily going up and staying there. Thank God! The staff at Forest Park Medical Center in Southlake were phenomenal. I felt so safe and comfortable the whole time. I was so happy I decided to go with them. Ok so the ideal bariatric patient will stay 1-2 days in the hospital, I stayed 3 nights. Not too bad considering what my body went through. 

So now I am on my way to healing and “eating”. It is super strange to have a small cup of broth and be full. Drinking enough water to keep hydrated was a challenge as well. I could only sip water out of medicine cups. But I managed to get through that week of clear liquids pretty easily. Being on pain meds kind of helped too...I was too zonked out to care. I had a follow up appointment on Tuesday morning and got my staples out. That was awesome. It took away some of the tightness I felt and I was able to move around more. My doctor said I was doing well and even encouraged me to eat some bisques and soups from some of my favorite places like Panera or Pappadeaux or la Madeline. I was elated!. The very next day (a week post-op) I was able to start thick liquids again. This was good because I could have protein shakes and creamy soups. Hallelujah! I had some potato soup and it went well. I started getting an appetite. There is something that happens when you go through this. Your mind starts playing tricks on you. It tells you you can eat this and that and you have to fight back the urge and remind yourself, no you can’t. Your new tummy (pouch) won’t allow it. You WILL get sick. I have been very compliant and very cautious. At the same time I am searching pinterest for bariatric, no carb, high protein foods I can eat when it comes time. Hehe. I can’t help it. Also during this time it is important to walk. Since I live in Texas and it is the middle of summer, the heat and humidity are brutal. I walk around my parents house over and over, and I get a little tired believe it or not. 

Anyway here I am chuggin along this amazing journey. I have the most amazing support system including family, friends, co-workers, clients, and fellow bypassers. I am beyond blessed. 

Oh and by the way I have lost 27 lbs since I started 2 weeks ago. This is an awesome milestone for me. I am under 300 lbs and it feel so good. It seems like every single day more weight falls off. I have to say I feel like the worst is over. Now I know there will be little obstacles along the way but I have the tools to carve my way out. I feel very clear headed and energized from not eating junk all the time. I’m ready to slowly introduce the healthiest of foods into my diet. Next week I cannot wait for a mashed sweet potato or some pulverized tuna even. Haha! Signing off for now. 

-Kristi