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Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Optifast - Day 8 (Tue, Jan 27)

The Optifast shakes are definitely not agreeing with me. They go right through me and keep my system messed up throughout the day. I tried using an anti-diarreatic but to no avail. Over the weekend, I stopped using them. I needed a break.

I discussed this yesterday with my nutritionist. She opined that maybe I was having an allergic reaction to them. Either way, we are suspending the shakes. I will attempt to replace them with low calorie (protein and veggies) meals/snacks.

Weigh-in info: 258.4 lbs.

Friday, January 23, 2009

Optifast - Day 4

Morning weigh-in: 257.2 lbs (down 2 more lbs - total loss todate: 8.4 lbs)

I'm really amazed at this whole thing because I really haven't been hungry. I don't know if that's attributable to being sick or to the Optifast having an appetite suppressant in it.

So, yesterday saw a bit of a flurry of activity as the surgeon's office scrambled to get everything in order before the surgery.

1. They have decided that they need an abdominal sonogram done after all. Initially, they had said that since my gall bladder had been removed previously, that wouldn't be necessary. But, now they've changed their mind. Bummer! Requires an extra trip over to VA.
2. Surgeon also says he needs an updated cardio clearance from my cardiologist (Dr. A. K.). I had one done back in September when I first started this whole thing. Apparently that's a little too far back to use. So, that necessitated moving an appointment with A.K. from next Friday (1/30) to this morning.
3. I also will be seeing my primary care physician this a.m. to get her medical clearance for me to have the surgery.


Thursday, January 22, 2009

Optifast - Day 3

Weight this morning: 259.2 (down 2.2 more lbs)

OK. So, I think what's happened is I've experienced, medically speaking, the "perfect storm".

When I started on the Optifast, I immediately developed what I thought were side effects (e.g., d...ha). But, now I think what happened was that the flu or a virus decided to drop in on me at about the same time. Reason I say this is because I have had a slight fever now for the last few days. I'm no doctor, but, I don't think drinking Optifast is going to give me a fever.

I'm worried about dehydration, so, been tossing down Crystal Lite and water like they're going out of style. The program calls for drinking 64ozs of nocal fluid each day anyway. So, I'm probably doubling that. I think I drank a gallon or so yesterday.

Now, on to more important things: weigh-in this morning - 259 lbs! That's a total of 7.5 lbs lost since starting on the program. Whew! That seems a little fast to me. I'm probably seeing a combination of the Optifast and the virus. I hope this drop doesn't cause me other problems.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Optifast - Day 2

Weight this morning: 261.4 lbs (down 4.4 lbs!)

OK. So this is pretty crummy so far. I've not been hungry, really. But, the shakes are giving me really bad diarrhea. (I know -- WAY too much information).

My weight yesterday morning was 265.8 lbs. This morning, as you can see above, I'm down almost 5 lbs from that, probably from all the fluids going out of my body. I've guzzled Crystal Lite all day yesterday just to keep my fluids up, not to mention the fact that this regimen requires that I drink an additional 64ozs of nocal liquids on top of the shakes/soup/snack bar. This morning, I'm switching to seltzer water because I'm afraid the Crystal Lite may be irritating my throat.


Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Well, Shake It Up, Baby!!!

Today is the first day of the rest of my life...

Today, I begin a journey that I have been waiting for months to start. In many ways, it is a new journey, but in some, it is a journey to the past.

Today marks two weeks prior to my gastric bypass surgery day. Along with that, yesterday marked the last day that I would be eating as I have done most of my adult life.

This morning, I began two weeks of totally liquid diet using Optifast products. The purpose of this two-week period of liquid diet is to shrink my liver to make it easier for the surgeon to get to my stomach. Apparently, certain people, especially those whose excess weight is largely (no pun intended) around their waist, have larger livers. If they don't shrink the liver, chances are they won't be able to perform the surgery on the stomach. So, here I go...

My first taste was of one of the French Vanilla Shakes. There are two other flavors -- Chocolate and Strawberry, which I will try today as well. I had put a bunch of the shakes in the fridge last night, so it was slightly chilled.
Not bad, actually. A little pasty, but not so much.

In addition to the shakes, there are packets of tomato soup and snack bars (Peanut Butter and Honey Nut 'n Oats). Which I will also get to try later today. An entire daily regime consists of four shakes, one soup and one snack bar, the sum of which
totals a meager 960 calories per day intake. 960 calories!!! That's not even enough for a flea to subsist on!

Starting weight: 265.8 lbs.