The Journey So Far

Happy Tuesday everyone!

I highly doubt that I have any readers at this point, but for the one or two of you who may have snuck a peak at my first post, Hello!

While I am just now starting this blog, I have been on this journey now for almost 3 months. For those of you unfamiliar with the weight loss surgery pre-surgical process, let me fill you in. Depending on what type of insurance you have, most insurance companies require their patients to go through a dietary period before the surgery, usually either one, three or six months. During this time, you learn how to eat once you have had the surgery. You don't have to loose weight during this time, but you can't gain it. There are a bunch of other tests that you will also undergo as part of the process, depending on what type of surgery you will be having. These tests include a psychological exam, blood work, an EKG, a sleep test, an EDG (upper Endoscopy), and an ultrasound of your stomach.

I have already had all of these tests done. I found out that I have severe sleep apnea from the sleep test, and that I have a hiatal hernia in my stomach that will be corrected with the surgery. The rest of my testing was normal.

I am currently two months in to the dietary process. So far I have lost a total of 14 pounds and gone down a dress size! The diet that the nutritionist puts you on is a combination of Low calorie and High Protein. The minimum requirement is between 1200-1500 calories per day (for women - men get to eat less) and at least 20 grams of protein at every major meal. The combination of low calorie, high protein may sound confusing and hard to track to many of you, but it's actually very easy! Once you start reading labels, you notice that the lower calorie foods, for the most part, have higher protein.

One of my favorite places to shop is Trader Joe's. If you've never been inside a Trader Joe's grocery store, you are SERIOUSLY missing out! Not only do they have the BEST frozen food section...ever, the food that they do carry is either their own brand, or heavily screened to make sure that it is only the best available. This makes Trader Joe's an ideal place to shop if you are conscious about GMO, Gluten Free, food allergies, or even just being to pronounce all of the ingredients in your food.

Now, you may think that because all of their food is organic and healthy, it has to be as expensive as places like Whole Foods. Not the case! Trader Joe's actually saves me money every week on my grocery bill! I come out of the store every week with four large bags of food (not just food, but organic, free range, healthy food) for around $100.00!

I'm still on my journey, and I do hit hurdles every now and again, but for right now, I'm on a roll!

Jenelle