At my recent appointment with my nutritionist, we talked about the fact that I am not getting enough protein. I am supposed to get at least 65 grams of protein per day and I am averaging less than half that. Malnutrition is always a possibility after gastric bypass, and I knew that going in, but I don't think I fully understood what would happen were I to be malnourished.
Because let's face it: I think I'm invincible. But then I went on vacation and noticed that my hair was coming out by the handful in the shower and there were strands of espresso hair covering the bathroom floor. It's disturbing. I'm fortunate, though. I've always had an abundance of super thick hair, so despite the heavy loss, it's not noticeable on my scalp, i.e. I don't look like my hair is thinning.
Despite the appearance, I decided it was time to get back on the bandwagon. I haven't been eating properly (and it's not just the lack of protein). I hadn't been exercising. I don't drink enough low-calorie beverages (or really, any beverages for that matter). And my weight loss is stagnating because of it (and yeah, the tequila didn't help, either).
So last night, I stopped into GNC and picked up unflavored whey protein powder. At 110 calories and 21 grams of protein per scoop, this will give me a great boost. Today, after some experimentation, I determined that a half scoop to my normal serving of oatmeal was the right combination. I added the half scoop to a packet of HMR hot cereal (with apples and currants - yum!) for a breakfast that has 265 calories and a whopping 21 grams of protein. It's actually so filling that after 30 minutes, I still have a significant amount left to finish.
I also picked up a complete multivitamin because we discovered that the chewables I purchased were not, in fact, complete. Sure, they had the vitamins I needed, but not the minerals, so that was exacerbating the situation. There wasn't much selection and I don't like horse pills, so I only purchased a 4-pack. We'll see if I like them once I get them down.
I thought it was some fluke that I felt like exercising earlier this week, but apparently not. This morning I woke up with a burning desire to walk/jog the two mile loop at Breakheart Reservation. It was such a beautiful morning (temps in the high 50s/low 60s, full of sunshine) and I had a great time, much to my surprise.
It seems it's been a month since I've had anything to post here. Well, that's not entirely true. Of course, I've continued to lose weight and in fact, the week before I left for vacation (or like a week ago, basically), I'd finally gotten below the 200 mark. It felt amazing to be able to say that before I went to my family reunion, especially because the last time I was here was only for a day or two and was way back in 2007 and prior to that, it'd been when I was a teenager.
I'm hovering between a 40-43 pound loss at the moment (in three months) and I'm starting to realize that I really do need to start exercising now. Not because the fact that I'm not is hindering my weight loss (it's not) but because as I'm losing the weight, I'm finding that I'm not appreciating the previously firm (while fat) parts.
I found out that the guy who used to teach the Zumba classes I was attending a while back, actually bought the studio and is now running it himself. For $28/month I can attend one Zumba and one Yoga class per week. So I'm thinking of starting out with that and then maybe adding hip hop at Springstep or maybe joining a rowing league in the spring. All I know is that I've got to do something.
I've packed up four bags of clothing to give away and I'm sure that I will have more once I finish unpacking from the trip. I know of at least two jean skirts, a dress and some tshirts that are now too big. I've been collecting clothes from other people as well and supplementing with small purchases from Target and Marshalls to just get me through to the next smallest size. I've gone from a size 20 to a 14 and went from a XXL to a L. I have clothes in my closet now (since I've been collecting them) that are 6 to 16. I never knew what that felt like. I always thought it was stupid to hold onto things that will never fit you again, but in my case, they just don't fit me yet.
I wasn't eating consistently while I was on vacation. I didn't have a big choice in what I ate because we all (about 25 of us at times) ate together for most of our meals and there were a lot of things I'd normally eat (say, like oatmeal) that we didn't have in the house. I got sick two nights in a row at dinner because I'd had pork (against my better judgment). And of course, I was drinking tequila, so I will probably not see any losses on the scale for the next week or so.
I did try to be a little active while I was gone - walking the beach and swimming laps in the indoor pool - and that all probably just offset all of the unhealthy foods I was eating plus the booze. My first meal upon getting home? Rice (brown) and beans (pink).
This week while we were away, it finally hit me that I'm losing a lot of hair. I know this is because I'm not getting enough protein and because I need to replace my daily multivitamin for a complete multivitamin. On the upside, I've got more than enough to spare, but I really do need to make sure that I'm getting enough of the proper nutrition. They all warned me this could happen, so I'm not terribly surprised by it.
