The Frazzled Scribe

Surgery Date: January 8, 2008
Starting Weight: 327 lbs.
Current Weight: 227 lbs.

Yeah, yeah I know. I’ve been gone a looooong time. So shoot me. I’ve been out there living. So naturally, there is a lot to tell about. Does anyone read this friggin’ blog???? If you do, please leave a comment so that I know I’m not talking to an empty world. Yeesh.

So let’s get to the juice.

Physically

I know since all my people are intelligent and savvy that you noticed the numbers above and that I’ve lost 100 lbs. since surgery!!!! Somehow I wasn’t as excited about that as I should be. Otherwise, physically I’m great. I have not been working out nearly as much as I should, but I have learned that I don’t like working out at home. So, much as it pains me to spend gas driving across town to the Y, that is what I do because that is what keeps me on track. Between going to the Y, walking more, and the step club (more below), my fitness level is improving. Here are but a few things I can do now that I couldn’t before:

Run on the treadmill – I was self-conscious about this at first. I thought everyone in the gym would think “what the hell is that fat girl doing running on the treadmill?” Well dagnabbit I run now without fear or shame. And yes, they are thinking that but you know what else I think they’re thinking? “I gotta work out more. This fat chick is showing me up.”

Exercise on the elliptical machine for more than 20 minutes without passing out or cursing the machine out – and, surprisingly, I don’t get out of breath anymore. Now I am still a sweaty, funky urchin when I come off the thing but that’s normal.

Work out for an hour – and feel like I can keep going!!!!

So all is good in the fitness department so far. For my birthday I am thinking about commissioning a few personal training sessions just so I can get my butt kicked and to take it up to the next level. I don’t just want to be small. I want to be small and strong.

Other physical changes: well, I notice that I am not that interested in TV at all. Aside from my soaps (which I tend to watch a couple of times per week off of my TiVo instead of rushing home everyday to watch them) and Project Runway (of course), I don’t watch much tv at all. I find, though, that since my energy level keeps climbing I get restless very easily. This is my theory on how skinny people stay skinny. They can’t stay still. At first it all felt very ADHD but now I think I like it.


Me vs. Food

Well people, it was bound to happen. My appetite came back. Sigh…it was nice being an anorexic for the time that I was. Mind you I still can’t eat that much most days. About 4-6 ounces and I’m done. I recently went out to sushi with some friends, though, and managed to eat 7 pieces which both pleased and alarmed me at the same time. But then the next few days I was on the two-bite plan so I guess it all evened out in the end.

I find that I like cooking a lot more now that I can’t eat much. And I enjoy feeding other people. I’ve been cooking all kinds of stuff. I discovered the greatest blog ever for post-WLS people. The World According to Eggface…this chick is a GENIUS! Half the battle for us surgery folk is knowing what we can/can’t eat. For some reason we assume we are resigned to a diet of yogurt and tuna for the rest of our lives. Thank God for Shelly because she dispels that myth quick, fast, and in a hurry. Between her recipes and the ideas they inspire in my own head…we’ve been enjoying all sorts of foods. The children have grudgingly accepted that green vegetables are now a permanent fixture on their plates and I even think my oldest has gone through fried chicken withdrawal (we’re still looking for the 12 step program for her).

I found that left-over food tends to stress me out so I found a solution to that too. The Lunch Fairy. Whenever I make too much of something (which is most of the time) or I make something the children absolutely refuse to eat, I pack up my little Gladware containers and bring in food for my co-workers. Judging from their reactions, most of my dishes have been pretty good so far.

Life

Well last we spoke I was in a very self-centered place. I still am to a certain extent. I have been told that I talk about surgery stuff a lot. In my mind, I think I just gotta embrace that for several reasons. First, I spent 31 years NEVER talking about myself, never giving myself any regard. So if I seem a little self absorbed now…I’m making up for years when I put myself absolutely last on my list. Thankfully most of the people in my life don’t mind…and I am trying to keep it in check more. So far as the need for compliments and whatnot…let’s just say that nature is taking its course. I’m getting smaller…I’m dressing nicer…I get the compliments. The difference now is that I don’t need them so much any more. Like I said, I missed out on that narcissistic phase in my life. I went through it, I embraced it, it’s coming to an end.

Let’s see what else…I’ve been dating. I started out dating a lot of people and now I am dating one person. Life is a trip. Relationships, I find, are hard. This may be why I’ve always been so averse to them. They are a lot of work and sometimes you feel like you’ve been in an all-day battle by the time you climb into bed. The plus is that the guy I’m dating is a nice guy and fun to be around, the down-side is that he hasn’t been on this journey with me and I’m not sure he completely understands what it takes for me to make this life transformation. I’ll have to keep y’all posted on how this all goes down. I will tell you that everyone is rooting for me. I’ve been anti-commitment for so long. Further, I’ve been single for so long that I think that my family was wondering if I was hiding same-sex tendencies or something (for the record I’m not…no disrespect to lesbians…but I love my men!).

So that’s the last couple of months in a nutshell. This post was hella-long so I’m going to end it now. Two goals by next post:

#1 – figure out how to put pics on this thing so I can do a “before/after” thing
#2 – share my blog with more people so that they can know the wonder of the frazzle scribe!

# posted by Bariatric Foodie @ 12:11 PM