Post Christmas Afternath: The Good, The Ugly and The Taboo

I really hope you all had a great Hoiday! I know that I did, it was wonderful spending time with family, friends and being thin. It was nice not looking at the pictures and hating myself. It was nice being able to move around the kitchen, cooking, doing the dishes without back pain and exhaustion. It was nice not to have my formerly fat ass knock stuff over. It was nice! 

So I am going to talk about my first Post WLS Christmas 

The Good: 

The good was everything that I had been given a second chance at life this year. It was amazing opening clothes from my Mom and knowing that they were going to fit. It was amazing knowing that I might have to return two sweaters to Kohls that I know are going to be too big and a fabulous CK coat in Houndstooth finally a Houndstooth coat. 

Being able to move, I did not realize how much my obesity had not allowed me to move freely around the house, kitchen etc.. After my Mom got sick with her auto immune disease it left me to take care of a lot and I did it all without complaint now. My energy has tripled and watching myself being able to do that is amazing. Also, on Christmas morning moving around cooking and doing laundry its fantastic. 

Eating, it was not hard I knew my parents would ensure they had sleeve friendly foods for me and my Aunt who has a VSG as well. I am happy to report she lost most of her regain. She looks great. It made my life easier. 

The Bad: 

Grandma was not with us this year. So weird to have X mas without my amazing Lala. But she was there in spirit and cooking. Her directions on how to clean and cook will always stay with me. She just missed a really good meal. 

The Taboo: 

Alright here is where I am gonna get down dirty and real! Did I eat cookies YES did I eat cheesecake YES! Did I enjoy it YES I DID! Did it repeat on me? NO WOULD I DO IT AGAIN YES! Was I scared to eat them NO! That is my CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE! I make it every year its decadent its fattening and damn its good. I worked my ass off to make this cake. 

So here is where the taboo is broken. People assume after WLS you can never have cake again. For the first few months yes you really cannot break plan. But are you allowed on Holidays yes you are! For gods sake its one day a year. I had a sliver of it and I was happy with that. One cookie I was happy with that. In the past it used to be three pieces of cheesecake, six cookies and then once I digested that I would go back for more.  It is TABOO talk to discuss this after WLS. 

I asked my NUT if I can one piece of cheesecake and she goes Katie you are 22lbs from goal you are compliant yes you can. I did and I enjoyed it now onto cleaning my room!

I Stopped Taking Pills But I Take SO Many Vitamins... WHY

This picture below brings fear to most WLS patients eyes. I know for me it does, Vitamins are the bane of my existence. I am going to admit I HATE taking them. No one likes taking them, they make you sick, they taste nasty and most of all their horse pills. I have been through so many Vitamin Regimens since beginning my WLS journey. 

This all starts after seminar when you have your first blood draws ( or at least did it did for me), I was anemic, deficient in Zinc and other stuff. I cannot remember the last time I had taken this many vitamins. 

Now I am only down to calcium and a multi and some other supplement I cannot even remember the name of it, all I know it is orange and helps w my back and inflammation and it does not hurt me. 

Lets use my last blood work as a prime example of vitamins, my Vitamin D was high and they wanted me to stop taking Vitamin D? Well where do I find calcium without it!!! Luckily, my WLS center started to carry Calcium Powder without it. So instead of taking my citracal which I think I bought stock in, I mix this powder into my water bottle twice a day and I get my calcium not a bad deal at least it goes down ok. Anyway now my multi has to be taken three times a day. I do it breakfast lunch and dinner or around then depending on when I can drink. 

Alright after my rant Why do we have to be tortured the rest of our lives? 

Take your Vita Viga Vetamin

So why do we have to take them? Well before we were operated on our stomachs were quite large, I know mine was by the sheer amount of food  I was able to stuff in it. Now, that I am sleeved I am lucky if I get the proper amount of nutrients in. Vitamins are taken as extra support and then ensure that we are ok

Thats all take your vitamins 

The Best Gift You Can Give

I have just had the most amazing 24 hours, last night I was up late as usual and saw this amazing post about a Christmas Elf type of exchange one of my FB friends was doing. I decided this year in honor of my Grandma I wanted to give back to those less fortunate than me. Who am I to complain about it in this life. 
I messaged my friend and she was so happy as this family of siblings had just been added onto the list in this group home. These four siblings want to stay together after the death of their parents. I felt CALLED to do this this year. 
So today I got up and looked at what I had to do, I needed to run errands today. I had tons of clothes I needed to send to the Good Will in my car so I figured I would look there for nice clothes. Well I did great, Target had stuff as did Kohls. This 13 year old girl named Samantha or Emma will get it. Their a team of siblings. 

The tree above pictured is what I have woken up to my entire life on Christmas morning, I am going to admit it now I do not know what it is like to be poor, I do not know what it is like not to have food on the table, I do not know what its like to have no money. Well I personally do but I always have my parents to fall back on. I do not know what its like not to have any clothes. In the scheme of life I have had it pretty easy, I mean I complain if my WIFI does not work right. These are what I like to call first world problems, that most people in the world would kill for.   

As Americans we often do not realize there is poverty in our back yards. There are people every where that seem ok but they are not.  Its terrible that we do not know this. Ever since the economy collapsed many people are dealing w poverty. 

So where do I go from this with myself...
This year my grandma died, I knew her well but learned a lot more about her this year than I ever did. More in death than in life. As I was aiding my aunt in cleaning out her stuff I never realized how much giving she did. In her honor i decided I was going to be the same way. 
And it has been such a blessing to be giving to those less fortunate. 
 HO HO HO MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Holidays and WLS

I really hope you all are enjoying getting ready for Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanza and whatever else you celebrate this time of year. I know that I have a lot to celebrate this year, 114 weight loss, a new lease on life, completing my Masters in Public Health and in January starting my social work degree and a new job starting on the 22nd. 

I have been truly blessed by God and the entire WLS community, I have made so many amazing friends and have expanded my social circle because of this surgery. I am invovled in my local support group and speak at bariatric seminars often. I am truly greatful to my surgeons for giving me this new life. 

This time last year I was fat, miserable and depressed. I was happy with my life but I was really not happy with the person I was about to become. I was a size 24W and teetring on 300lbs. I am now 184 lbs and a size 12/10 and Large in shirts. 

I cannot believe it! I cannot believe the person I have become, I am a shadow of my former self. 

What has really changed for me? 

Lets see I sleep better than ever, I take more vitamins than ever and I still drive the same car :) 

I still love my gritty television shows. 

I still love the gym 

And a facebook addiction 

Now the Holidays...

It used to be so scary when I the holidays came for me in the past because now it meant food. I am not going to be about celebration