Heather's Embodimental Therapy

I’ve been loving my little bento box http://www.amazon.com/Laptop-Lunch-Bento-Set-2-0/dp/B002Q0X54K/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1302501375&sr=8-8

I pack it the night before and pop it in the fridge overnight.  Here’s tomorrow’s bento, and a plate of the mini muffins I baked tonight:

Yum x 4

On the upper left, 2 little pistachio protein mini muffins from the most fabulous blog for WLS folks – thank you, Madamoiselle Eggface!  Lower left, SF Pistachio pudding to go with the muffins.  Upper right, sugar free (SF) lime jello with some raspberries. And lower right, BBQ Beef Brisket with some extra sharp cheddar cheese.

I typically break this size of bento into 2 mini snack/meals (or “sneals”).  Yum!!

Today was my first day of solid foods – did great at lunch with chicken curry, so I tried chicken again for dinner. I did sort of a burrito filling style, chicken cooked with salsa, refried beans, cheese and avocado. I ate about half of what I thought I should, but then started to feel not so great.

After 10 minutes of very uncomfortable heartburn feeling, I knew it was time to go pray to the porcelain god felt much better after it all came back up.

I’m still not sure what went wrong – too much, too fast, not chewed enough or just not tolerable to my fussy lil stomach.

Oh well, live and learn and try new solid foods tomorrow!

This has been a staple for me during the mushy food phase – 1:4 cup fat free refried beans, 1tbsp melted cheese, 1/4 avocado, 1/2 tbsp sour cream and 1tsp salsa. Tasty! 172 cal, 10g fat, 17g carbs, 8g protein

Here’s the night before surgery:

First Sunday after surgery:

Second Sunday after surgery:

Third Sunday after surgery (a few days late):

Everything continues to go well. I’m just over halfway through the “mushies” phase, and I have been enjoying getting a nice variety of foods.

I’m still learning how big my new stomach pouch is – things that look quite dainty on the plate can still fill me up!  For example, I wasn’t able to finish either of the meals shown below:

• 2 oz baked salmon with greek yogurt & horseradish topping, plus 1/2 hard-boiled egg with 1/2 TBSP mayonnaise
• 1 egg omelet with 1 oz baked salmon and 1 TBSP cottage cheese

Also below – here is my 2 week picture.  I’ve lost 20.6 pounds as of today, 4/2 – very exciting!  Some clothes are already not fitting, I’m putting together a collection of nice ones to see how much alterations would be.

I’m feeling ready to start working out again. I do walk quite a bit, but I am ready for some light weightlifting (arms only) and some stationary biking at the gym!  Today I felt pretty weak, I don’t want to lose muscle.

I’ve decided to do my 3rd sprint length triathlon this September, so I really need to recondition myself and then start my full on training by May.  It will be SO much easier to run and bike when I’m lighter – I will fly up those hills

That’s it for now. I will try to get better at updating this blog more frequently!

Here’s my before picture, taken by my room-mate the night before surgery.  My pre-surgery weight was 245, and highest ever was 257.

Before Pic, 3/9/2011, 245#

Embodimental Therapy was the name of my massage and hypnotherapy practice, and I kept the domain name and email…

Now Embodimental Therapy seems like the perfect description for the journey I’m embarking upon – changing my mind and body through weight loss surgery and improved eating and exercise habits.

Thanks for reading, and please let me know what you think!

Here we go – I’m creating this blog as a personal journal, and hopefully an informational and inspirational source for others contemplating or undergoing similar weight loss journeys.

On March 10, 2011 I underwent weight loss surgery – a laparoscopic vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG). I made the decision after much soul-searching, research and thought – and after two appeals of my insurance authorization denial.

I’m only 12 days out from the surgery, and I’m doing amazingly well. Since day 3, I have really felt “human” – I was lucky in that I started out very healthy, and I didn’t have much pain or discomfort at all. My energy has been great, and I returned to work after just a week off.

2011 has been the year of the most change yet in my life – and will continue to be so as I change both my body and my mind on my weight loss journey!  In February, I bought a condo in San Francisco and moved in, then had my surgery just a couple of weeks later. Now, I’m looking forward to the rest of 2011 as a truly transformational year – and I’m looking forward to sharing that journey on this blog!

I am also doing weekly video blogs on youtube if you would like to check them out.

Thanks for reading, and joining me on my journey!

Heather