(WOW...how about that 1984 photo!)
Sorry I have not posted in so long. Sometimes it seems that life gets so busy that I just can't keep up!
Chris' surgery date was rescheduled. It now will be Thursday, September 25th (11:10am). He has a couple of appointments this week for some different tests and registration issues at the hospital. Then we meet with the surgeon on the Monday prior to surgery.
I have to say that the protein shakes are SO much better than either of us thought they would be. We bought American Standard (whey) at GNC, Extreme Vanilla. Chris favorite way to flavor the shakes is with the individual Crystal Lite flavor packs. He likes the Sunrise Orange in the morning and usually has Fruit Punch for lunch. In addition to the two protein shakes a day, we (okay, I) fix dinner at home each night...a grilled meat, grilled vegetables or a salad, one starch. Chris' new best friend is sugar free popsicles. He can have all he wants and that makes a nice "tv snack" for him. I am not doing the protein shakes...I did that for one week and where Chris lost 10 lbs., I lost nothing! So, I am tyring to follow more of a Weight Watchers diet. It worked very well for me a few years ago so I am counting on it to work again! Now, after 3 weeks, I think the shakes are become more of a struggle for Chris. I am trying to encourage him to keep focus because we have been told that the last 2 weeks before surgery are the most crucial for the high protein/low fat/low card diet. It is, I am sure I mentioned before, to shrink the liver. In class they illustrated how the liver lays right across the part of the stomach that they have to work on. If the liver is a "fatty liver," it is brittle and they can cause damage to it. They have actually sent people back home and told them to reschedule after they complete the required time on the pre-op diet. I sure don't want that to happen!
We attended a class last Tuesday (September 2nd) in which they discussed more information about what to expect the day of surgery and they discussed the "meal plan" for post surgery. I wish I had the information in front of me to share some of it but Chris has it in a notebook/binder riding around in his truck! The first week post-op will be all liquids. Week two and three are puried foods (that does not sound good), low-fat cream soups, watered down mashed potatoes, water grits, etc. From there it is hard for me to remember the different steps. By week 6 he will be eating "real food" but in VERY limited amounts. The goal is to get to the point where he can eat about 1 cup of food per meal, 3 meals per day. That should be the max he ever reaches. If he gets to the point that he can eat more than that it is a signal that he needs an adjustement (they insert saline into the band to tighten it around the stomach). There is a specific requirment for the amount of protein that he has to consume (forever and ever) and most people will not eat the right amount so he will need to drink his protein...either in the form of the shakes or they have some "flavored water" I'll call it with protein in it. They gave us taste samples in the class for a couple different drinks and a protein "jello." They were all actually very good.
My hope and prayers are that Chris will be able to keep his focus, really for the rest of his life, and not forget why we are doing this. This is for his health. It has nothing to do with weight loss or looks, the weight loss is just a great benefit of the deal. I want for him to remember to make good food choices, pick the healthy stuff 9 times out of 10 and save the "good stuff" as special treats once every blue moon. It will be a hard road and I ask for lots of support from all of you...please issue reminders to either of us along the way if we don't seem to be doing the right thing. I hope the fact that we had to pay for this without the benefit of insurance will be a good "push" for him to continue doing the right thing.
So...until then, thank you so much for your support! It means a lot and we will need it for some time to come!
Chris' surgery date was rescheduled. It now will be Thursday, September 25th (11:10am). He has a couple of appointments this week for some different tests and registration issues at the hospital. Then we meet with the surgeon on the Monday prior to surgery.
I have to say that the protein shakes are SO much better than either of us thought they would be. We bought American Standard (whey) at GNC, Extreme Vanilla. Chris favorite way to flavor the shakes is with the individual Crystal Lite flavor packs. He likes the Sunrise Orange in the morning and usually has Fruit Punch for lunch. In addition to the two protein shakes a day, we (okay, I) fix dinner at home each night...a grilled meat, grilled vegetables or a salad, one starch. Chris' new best friend is sugar free popsicles. He can have all he wants and that makes a nice "tv snack" for him. I am not doing the protein shakes...I did that for one week and where Chris lost 10 lbs., I lost nothing! So, I am tyring to follow more of a Weight Watchers diet. It worked very well for me a few years ago so I am counting on it to work again! Now, after 3 weeks, I think the shakes are become more of a struggle for Chris. I am trying to encourage him to keep focus because we have been told that the last 2 weeks before surgery are the most crucial for the high protein/low fat/low card diet. It is, I am sure I mentioned before, to shrink the liver. In class they illustrated how the liver lays right across the part of the stomach that they have to work on. If the liver is a "fatty liver," it is brittle and they can cause damage to it. They have actually sent people back home and told them to reschedule after they complete the required time on the pre-op diet. I sure don't want that to happen!
We attended a class last Tuesday (September 2nd) in which they discussed more information about what to expect the day of surgery and they discussed the "meal plan" for post surgery. I wish I had the information in front of me to share some of it but Chris has it in a notebook/binder riding around in his truck! The first week post-op will be all liquids. Week two and three are puried foods (that does not sound good), low-fat cream soups, watered down mashed potatoes, water grits, etc. From there it is hard for me to remember the different steps. By week 6 he will be eating "real food" but in VERY limited amounts. The goal is to get to the point where he can eat about 1 cup of food per meal, 3 meals per day. That should be the max he ever reaches. If he gets to the point that he can eat more than that it is a signal that he needs an adjustement (they insert saline into the band to tighten it around the stomach). There is a specific requirment for the amount of protein that he has to consume (forever and ever) and most people will not eat the right amount so he will need to drink his protein...either in the form of the shakes or they have some "flavored water" I'll call it with protein in it. They gave us taste samples in the class for a couple different drinks and a protein "jello." They were all actually very good.
My hope and prayers are that Chris will be able to keep his focus, really for the rest of his life, and not forget why we are doing this. This is for his health. It has nothing to do with weight loss or looks, the weight loss is just a great benefit of the deal. I want for him to remember to make good food choices, pick the healthy stuff 9 times out of 10 and save the "good stuff" as special treats once every blue moon. It will be a hard road and I ask for lots of support from all of you...please issue reminders to either of us along the way if we don't seem to be doing the right thing. I hope the fact that we had to pay for this without the benefit of insurance will be a good "push" for him to continue doing the right thing.
So...until then, thank you so much for your support! It means a lot and we will need it for some time to come!
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