It’s been 54 days since my weight loss surgery, and I am feeling like I’m finally in a groove. It’s been an eye opening experience so far, a journey that actually takes a lot of commitment and emotional maturity. I have to giggle to myself when I think of the odd belief that WLS is the easy “weigh” out…the fact is it’s a bit more complicated than that. On one hand it is easy just because you simply aren’t hungry in the same way you were before. The truth is, I’m not very hungry at all these days. However, they call this the “Honeymoon Phase”, supposedly after the first year this feeling, or lack of feeling will subside. The other strange experience, is realizing how little food you can actually eat. The average size of an adult stomach is 60 oz. The average size of a bariatric patient’s stomach is 1 oz. No that wasn’t a typo. The new pouch will eventually stretch out to 4 to 6 ounces, and I will be able to eat about 1 cup of food. As of this morning I am down 48 pounds and feeling energized and happy. Here is a current shot of me. The before and after side shots are interesting. The photo on the left was taken a few days after surgery. You can see how distended my tummy was, especially up high where the liver is located/ Check it out:

Feb. 6, 2011

March 30, 2011

Now what you have to realize, yes your body is requiring less food….however your mind still craves certain comfort foods that are no longer an option. My comfort food of choice is ice cream. I adore the stuff. I could easily live on ice cream 24/7 if it were an option. Post surgery has some weird effects, such as an inability to eat certain foods. Dairy is a common problem food, and sugar is a major no no. Since food bypasses much of the intestine, certain foods can play havoc on your system. Bread can form a dough ball in your tummy, block things up, and make a patient very sick. This is the tricky park….you somehow have to get very “Zen” about the whole thing and find peace with your new lifestyle. Sure you can find some substitutions, regardless nothing can quite replace the taste of Ben and Jerry’s Chunky Monkey or a piece of sour dough bread slathered with butter.

Another challenge is having to eat in a slow and mindful way. I have to take now take very small bites and chew, chew, and then chew some more. This is where maturity comes into play. You have to be able to quiet yourself and focus on your new lifestyle. Yes, there are some challenges, but I haven’t regretted my decision at all and would do it over again in a heartbeat. I feel like I’ve gotten my life back, and amazingly I feel 10 years younger. I’m walking better than I have since I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease five years ago. I used to stop every 50 feet or so, and now I’m cruising at top speed with no breaks. The best part is that my liver is getting healthier by the day. The swelling has gone down and the tenderness is completely gone.

I’ve received a lot of e-mails from people interested in WLS food intake. Below are some examples of foods that currently work well for me:

Luckily I love oatmeal and cream of wheat. I add some nuts for a protein hit and toss in fresh blueberries.

Here are a few protein powders that I like.

Water is a must...at least 64 ounces daily.

Yummy treat, sugar-free fruit layered cheesecake flavored pudding.

Love soft mozarella with ripe tomatoes and a bit of balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Was out of fresh basil, but that makes it even more yummy!

Great way to get a nice portion of my daily protein.

Pills are a way of life for a Parkinson's and WLS patient. Above is my daily dose.

Eggs are at the top of the list. I made these with light mayo and just one filled me up. Terry loves these too, so he ate most of them.

I eat fish at least 3 x week.

A happier and healthier me 48 lbs. lighter.

Puddles! No problem, rubber boots save the day...hip hip hooray!

Last night was spent at a horse show where my daughter Emma was competing in a western event called reining. Horse shows happen come rain or come shine, so there we were walking through mud while freezing our tushies off. Two words….rubber…..boots!

The competitors usually warm up their horses in an outdoor arena, however the ground was so saturated with water, the footing wasn’t safe for horse or riders. Instead they had all the riders warm up in the indoor arena right next to the show area. It looked like the 405 freeway at  5:00 p.m., except the cars were replaced by horses….what a sight!

Here are some photos from the event:

Emma is in the center with the long pony tail...Beep! Beep!

This gal sort of freaked me out...half angel and half devil. Not sure what it all meant.

Hope she has her blinker on!

Whatta drag.....no riding!

A coat for his coat. woof! woof!

Saddles with bling.....kaching!

Show shirt bling....double kaching! $$$

Love the colors in this one.

What a sweetheart. He was curled up in his mama's arms.

No lie! Plus a hair extension booth!

Heck with the horse...that's me after a massage!

Beauty and the Beauty

Emma and her trainer going over the game plan.

I adore decorating almost as much as I do painting….and last weekend I was able to combine both. I have struggled to find just the right color theme for our bedroom. Saturday I went treasure hunting with a gal pal, and I spotted this colorful duvet.

The fabric is full of  Caribbean shades which make you wish you were at a beach resort! As soon as I put the comforter on our bed, I realized I needed coordinating artwork to pull it all together. I spent all day Sunday creating some matching pieces. A bit more abstract than I usually do, however it all seems to fit. Take a peek at the new look~

Quite a few of you have e-mailed me wishing me well on my weight loss journey, and also requesting updates. I am going to try to keep a photo diary going so you can watch my progress. I want to thank all of you who have contacted me and expressed generous words of support….it truly has meant the world to me.

Okay, a quick recap on progress since my weight loss surgery on February 3, 2011. During the past two years my weight had reached an all-time high, and was making my liver enzymes sky-rocket. A liver biopsy revealed I have Stage 1 liver disease, a condition known as NASH. I needed to lose weight quickly to get back on the road to good health. This is when the word gastric bypass popped into the equation.

It’s been an amazing journey so far, even though the surgery itself was much more intense than I had expected. I’m beginning to feel balanced and healthy now, and I’m thrilled to see the scale finally move in the opposite direction. I’m down two dress sizes, one shoe size, and have lost 39 pounds. Stay tuned for future follow-up.

I also wanted to mention that I’m very willing to answer any questions regarding gastric bypass surgery. Feel free to contact me by email (deluzcindy@yahoo.com) if you have any questions or comments.

Every now and then we are blessed with a magical day that creates a lasting memory…today was one of those days. My pal Lauren, my daughter Emma, and I braved the wet weather while hunting for thrift stores and produce stands. Lauren recruited us as junior investigative reporters, which means we just tagged along why she worked on an assignment. Lauren is an amazing writer and photographer for a local newspaper, and she’s also a fellow artsy chick.  Be sure to check out her blog, I guarantee you’ll get lost in her timeless words and beautiful pictures. theurbanhippie.wordpress.com

We went to a cool little town located in the Delta, called Locke. This charming place is rich with history and is the perfect setting if you’re a die-hard shutterbug. I went a little crazy with my new camera and clicked non-stop through-out the day…here’s what we saw:

I’m back on my old blog…sorry for change in direction, hope you landed back here okay. I was looking back at some old blog posts and decided to do a re-run. This one touched on an important female issue, and  I think it’s worth repeating. Here goes:

Turning Hot Flashes Into Heart Flashes

Most of you know I was unfortunately diagnosed with Parkinson’s almost three years ago. Having an incurable brain disease has a way of overshadowing other health issues. Mammograms and cholesterol testing suddenly take a backseat, and PD moves to center stage.

This month I finally decided to address some non-PD  health concerns. On Tuesday, I found myself sitting in an unfamiliar exam room. As I sat there and patiently waited  for the doctor to enter, I suddenly smiled when I noticed a poster of a uterus. Most of the exam rooms I’ve been in over the past two years, are decorated with images of the brain. I was thrilled to see fallopian tubes, instead of the substantia nigra, a small section of the brain where my dopamine producing cells have gone on strike.

Topic of discussion for this appointment?……..hot flashes.

Recently I traded in my dainty 6″ girly girl fan, for a mega macho manly man fan. This high-powered  industrial strength wind making machine can blow my overweight border collie across the room. It’s appropriately named the ”The Turbo Tornado”, and it provides wind gusts up to 50 miles per hour. Truly a hot flashes worst nightmare . As lovable Tim on the old sitcom Home Improvement would have said ,  ”It’s a top of the line heavy-duty horse powered honey.” Well, after realizing that a fan strong enough to cool down The Staple Center, still wasn’t doing the trick, I admitted it was time to seek some advice.

Was this particular visit to my new gyn doc pleasant?….no. Was it highly informative?…..yes. Don’t get me wrong,  this fast thinking doc was delightful, personable, and unmistakably brilliant. I suppose it was that darn ”M” word that caught me off guard. No not the word “Madam”…that one can feel like Tyson’s right hook, especially if you still look over your shoulder when someone refers to you as “Miss”. For those of you who immediately thought the word was “mother-in-law”, good guess. (for the record my recently passed mom in law, was a rare entity…an angel disguised in a smiling 4′ 10″ tall body)“The M word that motivated me to look within, was menopause. Wow, seems like yesterday I was doing the Electric Slide at The Hot Rod Cafe. The only thing electric in my life now, is a toothbrush.