What I've Been Eating on Atkins!

I don't update this blog nearly enough, but now with the new year I'm trying to get back into it again. :) I was doing really well on the Atkins diet, but that all got messed up around the holidays (go figure!) Thankfully I didn't really gain any weight. (The few pounds I did gain, I lost when I had the flu the week after Christmas.. Which was a nightmare.) However, I want to start my weight loss again so I'm starting back on phase 1 of the Atkins Diet!

So here are some examples of what I've been eating the past few days! :)

The goal with the atkins diet in phase 1 is to keep your net carbs between 18 and 22 each day. I went to 23 and 24 on two days, however I don't think I actually consumed that many because I didn't finish  my salad one day, and I also didn't finish the chicken salad I ate the other day. So, I'm probably still between the 18 & 22 range. Regardless, I think I've been doing pretty well and thought I'd share it with you guys to hold myself accountable, while giving ideas to other people who may be in the same boat. :)

Hope you're all having a great day, and talk to you soon!

-Ashley<3(:

Atkins Diet Thoughts/Review

So about 6 weeks ago I had visited my endocrinologist, who suggested I start the Atkins diet (or a modified version of it) because I had gained weight doing the 5:2/fasting diet. I had went from 185 to 189, and once I started the Atkins diet, i got down to 185 then stalled for awhile, but now 6 weeks later (still on phase 1) I'm at about 178 lbs. I've lost almost 2 pounds a week.. Which is something that's never happened.. Even after having weight loss surgery, I went weeks at a time without losing whether it be because I wasn't on the medications I needed, or because I wasn't eating enough.. So I was shocked at how well this was working, and wondered why I hadn't tried it before.

I just saw her again a couple days ago, and despite the fact that after 4-6 weeks you're supposed to move to 'phase 2' of the diet, she agreed I could stay on phase 1 for another 6 weeks before moving up to see if I'll continue losing weight. Which is great for me!

I'd like to point out that in no way do I regret having weight loss surgery.. It's certainly a tool that's helping me right now.. I'm not hungry. I'm sure if I hadn't had surgery, I'd be very hungry on the diet I'm on now and it'd be much more difficult to stay on track with. But.. You know, everyone kind of assumes weight loss surgery is a cure all, and well, it isn't. I'm still on all the medications I was on pre-op. I still have Insulin Resistance, PCOS, hypothyroidism, etc.. and I understand most of my issues are probably not going away. I haven't lost one pound without working for it.. and that is never changing. I understand that now. So going into the Atkins diet, after so many other failed ones, I wasn't.. hoping for much.. I mean c'mon, I had 4/5th's of my stomach ripped out and I didn't lose weight without adding on or bumping up medications to control my metabolic issues. So I had no hope for this, but alas, I tried it anyway.. and it's working. Finally something's working. I genuinely couldn't be more thrilled.

My endocrin was a bit worried about my blood sugars going too low, or my electrolytes and what not.. But both were totally fine. She has me testing my ketones every morning, which are always okay on 'trace'. I hadn't been working out because I was a bit light headed and dizzy sometimes adjusting from 60 carbs a day to 20, but now that I've been on it a few weeks I'm adjusting and starting working out again with the '7 Minute Workout'.. However, I do have to modify it because I can't do regular push ups or anything that involves putting pressure on my wrists. Yay for tendinitis. Also I try to fit in half hour walks every day, but it's getting so freaking cold out.. That is one side effect, whether it be of my medications (I read somewhere that one I"m on has a side effect of 'inability to retain heat' is how they worded it..) or of the weight loss, that I'm generally always cold.. Even during the summer.. and it's supposed to freaking snow later this week. So.. I don't know how long the walks will last. I will certainly keep up the 7 minute workouts though, and maybe do it a couple times a day to make up for the lack of walking during the fall/winter.

As far as what I'm eating, here's a list of the staples in my diet:

• Turkey Products (turkey sausage, bacon, regular turkey, etc..)
• Grilled/baked chicken
• Shrimp and Fish (mostly Tilapia)
• Cheese (Primarily part-skim mozzarella and provolone)
• Vegetables (Lots of salads,, primarily iceberg and romaine lettuce, fresh broccoli, baby carrots, sugar snap peas, green beans, etc..)
• Atkins products (They're kind of pricey.. Occasionally I'll buy a box of their meal replacement bars or I get their frozen meals sometimes, which are actually really really good!)
• Low-carb yogurt (Carbmaster brand from Kroger only has 4 carbs in a serving.)

Occasionally I'll have some strawberries, half a banana, or half an apple, or something like that. However fruits aren't a big part of my diet in this phase. Too many carbs. It's usually only if my blood sugar is low or if I'm really craving something sweet.

Here's an example of what I'll eat in a day: 

I don't log my food every day, just because it's a bit of a hassle but occasionally I will just to make sure I'm staying on track, and this is generally about where I'm at. I still can't eat very much at one sitting because of the size of my stomach, but I make it work. 

My doctor basically wanted me to have under 20 net carbs a day, and a goal of 100 grams of protein.. not to worry about where my calories were at. So that's what I've been doing.

To clear up any confusion: 

Total Carbohydrates - Sugar Alcohol & Fiber = Net Carbs

So based on what I ate on the 20th, I only had 12 net carbs, and 95 grams of protein.. which to be fair, is one of my better days. I don't always get that high on protein, and there have been a few days where I slipped up on carbs. so I'm really pleased with myself on the days I do that well. :)

Overall, I'm really pleased with how this diet is going and if you're looking for one to start, or maybe you had surgery and you want something to jump-start weight loss again, this is definitely worth looking into.. Don't make any impulsive decisions without talking to your doctor first, though. <3

Anywho, I hope you're all having a fantastic day and I shall talk to you all again soon. :)

-Ashley<3

Surgery Update! 18 months post-op.

Okay... I've been really bad at updating this lately. I'll try to get back into it, I promise! Haha.

I'll be 18 months post-op (VSG) in a week or two. I have my 18month follow-up appointment on February 21st. It's been a crazy year and a half... things are constantly changing.

My medications have changed a lot, a bunch of different times, after surgery. Weight wise, I go through stalls like every month.. but then i drop five pounds then i go through another stall.. Which I guess I'm okay with. It's better than nothing. I'm glad i'm still losing, because for awhile right after surgery I didn't lose anything because of medication issues.

Highest weight ever: 285lbs in 2010.
Weight on day of surgery: (08-19-2011) 250lbs
Weight today: (2-7-13) 185lbs.

So, I've lost 100lbs. Some of that pre-surgery, some post-op.. I'm not at my goal weight yet. I still have 40 pounds or so to go. I really hope I get there, asap. I've been working for this so long, I just really want to be there.

I don't want my life to focus around the number on the scale, so I try not to focus on that too much anymore.. Because I am healthier than I have been in a long time. But it's hard not to, when my entire life up until this point has been focused around my weight.

I'm having more issues eating lately, than I did originally post-op. I typically always avoid sugar/fat. Or I try to. I've never liked it. I was never allowed much sugar when I was younger, so I've always been in this mental state that sugar is bad. So the idea of even taking a sip of a regular coke, or a bite of a cookie, makes me sick to my stomach.. Therefor I never actually want to do that.

The only things that go over well 100% are fruits and vegetables, which sucks, because those don't have much protein. I have greek yogurt a lot, different cheeses.. skim milk (1% & 2% make me feel sick). Dairy is okay.. sometimes. But there are sometimes it doesn't sit well with me either. Meat-wise, shrimp usually goes over okay.. Deli meat can, like, sliced turkey or ham or chicken? Salami is okay usually. but more dense things don't anymore. It's hard for me to eat steak or a roast or something... Pork has never gone over well. At all. I can't go near pork anymore, haha.

So, I manage. It's just hard, because some days I can eat more than others, and some days certain foods sit well when the next day those same foods won't. So a lot of the time I end up feeling sick, because it's constantly changing.

One day I could eat a bowl of cereal for breakfast, greek yogurt and fruit for a snack, a couple oz of deli meat and carrots and ranch dressing for lunch, string cheese and some turkey pepperoni for a snack, and then have a small, or half of a burger (no bun, lean meat, homemade) with cheese and a small salad for dinner.. (total volume never reaching over 8-12oz for the most part)

Where the next day I'd feel absolutely terrible if I tried greek yogurt, or a bowl of cereal. Where I don't want to go near a burger, and the only thing I'm able to get down is a cup or two of vegetable soup and a few pieces of pineapple. One or two slices of deli-meat, if I'm lucky... That's all day.

It's confusing, and I don't know why it's like that. No one can seem to explain it. I asked my endocrinologist yesterday when I went for a follow-up, and she gave me a prescription for Prevacid to see if that may help.. So we'll see. But if it doesn't I'll probably end up with a referral to GI (actually, I think she ordered one anyway.... I'm not sure. I'll have to double check that.)

But regardless, I've been doing my best. Some days I don't get enough protein because of it. But I'm doing what I can. I really don't like eating though...

My hunger still hasn't returned since surgery. None. I have to remind myself to eat. I guess there could be worse situations to be in....

Medication wise, I'm on 75mcg Synthroid for my thyroid.. 1000mg Metformin 2x day for Insulin Resistance, and 50mg Aldactone 2x a day for hormones/blood pressure/diuretic purposes. and Ogestrel birth control for PCOS. I take a Multivitamin 2x a day, and Calcium citrate twice a day as well. I'm terrible with taking a separate vitamin D, but there is 800ui of Vitamin D in the calcium citrate i take, and my blood work seems to consistently come back just great vitamin-wise, so I'm not too worried about that...

Exercise wise, I'm doing good. (: In the post I made about motivation a couple weeks (months?) ago I mentioned a Tumblr I made for motivation, and I've found a lot of great exercise ideas on there. Different routines people have came up with, songs to exercise to, etc.. That are much more interesting to try than doing the same thing over and over again each day.

I really want to build up more muscle that I'm sure I lost. I used to be an athlete. I played a bunch of sports, danced, and had a lot of muscle.. My legs still do. but I'm not nearly as strong anywhere else, so I've been doing a lot with my resistance band. I only have 1 & 3lb weights right now. I want to get 5lb & 10lb weights. When I get some more money, we'll see. (:

I also made a playlist on YouTube of videos I found that have exercise routines.. The Livestrong YouTube channel has a ton!!

Overall, I think everything is going alright. I know it goes a lot worse for some people, so I'm okay with all of this. Nothing is easy. I'm used to this. It feels better knowing I'm working harder for the weight loss.. The chances are better that it will stay off because it's coming off slower, and I feel better about it... Because it has not been an easy fix like a lot of people say. I don't even like the word fix. Because it didn't fix anything. It's helped. But nothings fixed entirely. but I'm okay with that.

I just have to accept the fact that nothing comes easy, and I need to keep working harder and harder as time goes on, to get to where I want to get to.

I hope every one's having a great day, and I'll talk to you all soon!

Talk to me on Facebook or Twitter or Email me or something!!!! I'd love to talk to some more people. (:

Bye<3
-Ashley(:

Happy Holidays! Don't stress out over the food!

Happy Holidays!!!

Sorry I haven't updated in awhile, I've been pretty busy with the Holidays and starting up a new youtube channel, and such.

But I'm back now! After a long discussion with some family members the day after Christmas, that involved them harassing me about becoming a doctor or a nurse practitioner because of all of my 'medical knowledge' I've accumulated over the years, I figured I should get back into this.

Probably won't be a long post, simply because I'm going to a concert later, and I need to get ready (yay!!) but we'll see how it goes.

Weight Update: 185lbs (: Praise the lord for my Endocrinologist and her magic medicine dosages.

Anywho, during the holidays a lot of people don't even try to lose weight because it's so hard with all the tempting food, or they do try and just end up disappointed at their results and figure they should've just pigged out while they had the excuse of the holidays, since they didn't lose any weight anyways.

It doesn't have to be that way. Holidays are supposed to be about family/friends/etc.. Not food. People over the years have just made it about the food.

Given, I do realllllyy enjoy broccoli casserole and snacking all day on all the crap my mom sets out for my family, Over the years I've adapted to like different things...

You need to pick and choose your battles, is what I'm trying to say.

If your weakness is cookies/sweets? Have a cookie or two. Just don't eat 5 or 6. If you don't eat any, then you'll binge on something else.

If your weakness is carbs? Have some of that casserole or whatever, but have half a cup to a cup, instead of going back and having 3 servings and stuffing yourself. (This is where I'm guilty.. However thanks to my sleeve I'm incapable of going back and having 3 servings, as much as I'd like to.... Haha)

And I also am guilty of snacking throughout the day on holidays (and afterwards with the leftovers.)

But it's the holidays. It's okay to not stay on your 'perfect' diet plan. Be realistic. If it isn't going to happen, it won't happen. Don't set high expectations for yourself, because then you'll just feel like crap when you don't meet them.

Some people can pull of dieting through the holidays. If you can, then fantastic! Keep at it! But if you can't, don't stress yourself out over it.

Most of my snacking consisted of shrimp cocktail (which I eat on a pretty regular basis, anyway... I just ate a LOT more of it on Christmas), cheese/crackers, a veggie tray, and fruit salad. Which isn't bad. At all. Considering on a regular basis I have issues eating enough, having all the food on Christmas (and actually meeting all calorie/carb/protein requirements) was a reality check.

Bottom line is, don't stress yourself out. Realize what you're eating, how much, then quit focusing on it and focus on your friends/family rather than the food.

Hope you all had a great Christmas (Or Hannukah or Kwanza or if you don't celebrate anything, then a happy Tuesday?) and I'll try to update more often in the new year! Haha.

Bye<3
-Ashley

Pictures from Christmas!!!

I hadn't slept in 2 days.. Too busy cooking and what not. So most the pictures my mom took of me, I really don't remember. Haha

The quiche's I made for breakfast (:

Snacking snacking snacking. On Christmas Eve at my grandparents they had shrimp cocktail but I was too slow to get to it, and it was all gone. So I made sure to get some at my moms.... Haha.

Christmas Tree<3 (I still can't believe my mom bought those stupid light up pillows from the infomercials like WHY but i have to admit they're really fuzzy... I slept with mine last night. It feels like a little kitten. Haha!)

11 year old brother on his skateboard type thing with the leather jacket i bought him! I KNOW IT'S SWALLOWING HIM. It's huge. But it's the ONLY one they had left at the store, and he really wanted one. So I got it, and decided to use it as an incentive for him to take his shots... And it worked. (he has a growth hormone deficiency  My 9 year old brother is taller than him, etc.. He has to take growth hormogne injections every day, but fights it. But recently he's realized he doesn't wanna be 4'5" forever... So he's been taking them. Yay for Connor! (:)

Quinn after he got his new guitar. His face was priceless. Haha

I typically don't show much emotion.. In facial expressions anyway. But seeing as I was going on 2 days with no sleep, and was NOT expecting this, It's understandable as to why I actually gave a reaction to the fact that I got a gift card to my favorite Tattoo shop. I get to go sometime in the next few weeks and get my second tattoo. I'm freaking stoked. 

Tinkerbell was sleepy <3 my moms cat kept me warm all day seeing as it was FREAKING FREEZING.

Oh yeah and the day after Christmas we woke up with like 7 inches of snow on the ground. no big deal. Just the first time snow has stuck in our city in 3 freaking years.

Last but not least, the day after Christmas My 9 year old brother Nolan wanted to go play in the snow, but no one would go with him because Connor was too busy with his netbook and Quinn was too busy with his Guitar. I said I'd go, but I didn't have any jeans or snowpants or anything, all I had were leggings and pajama pants.... My mom found a old pair of snowpants of my brothers (Quinns) That don't fit him anymore and made me try them on.... I haven't worn snow pants in 4 years. I never went out in the snow unless it was to get in a car, because I had none that fit and didnt' want to buy any. Well... I wasn't expecting them tofit, and they didn't. They were too big. I gotta be honest, that kind of made my day.

So I went outside with Nolan, had a snowball fight after realizing the snow was too icy to make a snowman, and he pushed me down the hill in our front yard.

So yeah. That was my Christmas. Hope yours was just as great! (: Bye!

How to stay motivated!

I've been stuck at 195 since May... MAY. I actually gained 12 pounds during the summer, but then I lost it once my meds were adjusted.. And I was back to 195, where I have remained since. It's now the first week of November.

Obviously, I've been frustrated. I've amped up my exercise, upped my water intake, and I'm seeing if this will help. Also it's questionable if I'm eating enough. So I've been emailing back & forth with my dietitian, trying to sort this out.

For a few months I just completely gave up. I'm able to maintain perfectly fine. But losing is an issue. I figured okay I'm stuck here forever but... I actually saw a post on a website called Tumblr that I get on regularly, about diet/exercise/etc... Then I discovered an entirely different side of the website, full of blogs full of motivation tips and diet/exercise tips and all sorts of stuff... I typically just got on that website to 'fangirl' over bands and youtubers that I'm probably a little too obsessed with, and to find quotes and stuff I liked and artsy stuff... But this threw me for a whirlwind.

I came to the realization that I'm back at square one. This surgery had already done what it's going to do for me... It was a huge jump start.. Not just the surgery, because that alone I don't think did much for me (other than being a HUGE reality check & gave me a much higher pain tolerance).. I mean, of course it helps me restrict how much I"m eating but... Ask any one that has ever been in my life, my family, any doctor I've seen in the past... My diet was never my problem. --- But the doctors I've met because of the surgery, and the medications that have been (Finally) orchestrated correctly, the other patients I've met, everything... I've learned a lot. But I'm back to square one. The only difference between now and 2 years ago when I was incapable of losing weight? I've seen it happen. I've seen it work. I've seen that my body is capable of weight loss, with the right combination of everything.. (drugs, diet, exercise, fluids, etc..)

Something is missing right now.. I'm not sure what. I see my Endocrinologist on the 7th, then dietitian and other people eon the bariatric team on the 13th.. So maybe they'll have some answers for me seeing as I've been logging my food religiously. Maybe that's part of it... Maybe my meds need adjusted, who knows.

Anyways, the point of this post is how do I stay motivated? Honestly... It's hard. It really is. But I've found a few things that really help.

1. I created another blog. A second tumblr (separate from my first one, because they're completely different topics.) to find and share things I find on there.. Different exercise ideas, diets, motivation tips, etc... I love updating this website, but there isn't much interaction with anyone... Where on tumblr there is a ton of interaction.. Tons of people blogging about the same thing and supporting each other  I can't go to the support groups my surgeon has because they're always at a time when i never have a ride... my family doesn't quite understand what i'm going through, and neither do any of my friends.. So this has been great for me. And while on there, I've found a few other things to help motivate me.

2. Logging. If I stay accountable to myself, it helps me keep on track. I log everything on myfitnesspal.com -- i always have been on & off with it but lately I've been religious. Logging exercise, fluids, and food.

3. Pictures!!! The desktop background for my laptop is this picture:

This picture helps remind me that I'm capable of getting to my goal weight (140lbs).. That it may take awhile, but I eventually CAN get there.I'm really proud of what I've accomplished so far,... I like this feeling. I want it to continue. -- the picture on the left is the ONLY close to full body picture I have of myself from my highest weight.. I was so ashamed of my body... But I'm SO glad I have it to reference .. Honestly. whenever I feel like I'm not losing anything or that i haven't accomplished anything, I can just look at my leg in that picture, then my leg in the second picture.. There is absolutely no denying the difference. 

4. I have my resistance band, 3 pound weights, and tape measure all right next to my door on the shelf in my room. Every time I turn my head, stand up, or walk in or out of my room I see it and it's a constant reminder to work out..

5. The biggest motivator the past few weeks? I saw an idea for this on tumblr, and created one of my own...

This is all on the back of my bedroom door. Every. Pound. Counts. It's something I have to keep reminding myself... Every pound is a little achievement that I work my ass off to lose. I highlighted every 5 pounds and put a heart on every 10 pounds.. Because they're even bigger achievements. Inspirational quotes, reminding myself to take my medications, drink water, etc... All of it. Every time I see it it's bright and obnoxious on my door (seeing as the rest of my room is white/brown/black/tan colored) and stands out and I feel guilty if I don't do what I need to do each day.. -- The satisfaction of being able to cross off a pound, but a big black X over it and tell myself that I will never see it again is absolutely amazing, and it's something I work for. That feeling is indescribable.

*******
So yeah. That's about all I got. Do you have any other motivation tips you want to share? Let me know!!! (: -- Hope everyone is having a great day & I'll update once I see all these doctors and figure out what's going on.

~Ashley

Ps: If you want to visit the tumblr I mentioned above, it's www.ashley887.tumblr.com (:

How much can I really eat?

Okay, so I'm attempting to post this from my iPhone. If I can do this, it will make my posts MUCH more frequent.. Haha. Anyways...

How much can I really eat? Doctors will tell you the estimate of how much you should be able to eat, and it's different with different surgeries. I had the VSG. I'm supposed to eat about a cup to a cup and a half (volume-wise) of food. Which is roughly right. But the density of the food matters. Salad? Yeah that's about right. Pure protein? Meat, cheese, etc... No. Not even close. -- my family does eat out quite frequently. Or carry out or whatever. We went out to eat the other day and I decided to use that opportunity to blog about a real life situation (with pictures). :p

(and right as I attempted to insert a picture on my phone, it crashed.. saying i need to install a new app to be able to do that. I may try it later.. So I know I can write drafts.. just no pictures. alright. :P)

Anyways.. Basically we went out to eat and I got what I usually get at that restaurant. A club-melt sandwich (which consists of turkey, bacon, tomato, and I think it's white cheddar cheese, on toast. and a side salad.. Salad is pointless for me to eat. It's nutrients it limited. It's basically just water, fills me up too much, whatever. But the sandwich comes with a side, and I really like salad. So I get it and just have a few bites of it and give the rest to my brothers who like it. So, this is how much of my meal I could eat:

(I used my hand to show you roughly how big the salad was)

Volume-wise.. it was maybe 1 1/4 cup of food that I ate. I picked off all the crust and a few little parts of the half to make it look like I ate a little more than I actually did to shut the waiter up (because yes, most times I go out they question if the food wasn't good or if I'd like something else or what not.. Haha) and I brought the other half home. 

I looked up the nutrition facts for this meal that I usually get because my family goes to this specific restaurant  pretty often... Turns out The sandwich alone has 56 grams of protein.. Half of that.. (minus some bread) is like 28 grams of protein. almost freaking 30 grams of protein. Half of what I'm supposed to get in a day. That isn't bad. At all. That's actually kind of amazing. The fat content isn't high, and calories/carbs are average.. And salad is basically nothing because I can only eat 3-4 bites of it, so.. yeah.

Some people seem to think after surgery you can't eat the same foods you used to.. I guess that depends on what you ate before surgery... If you're used to living off of fast food, eating entire bags of chips, little-no vegetables/fruits, fried things, etc... Then yeah. Probably not. You're physically capable of it, but doesn't that kind of ruin the point of having surgery? But if you have a relatively healthy diet? There is no reason you can't eat a normal meal at a restaurant. Obviously, less of it... But this is something I got pre-surgery too.. Except I ate it all. 

So yeah. That's about how much I can eat. I could eat a little more volume if I had more salad and less sandwich, but then I wouldn't get as much protein. (Which is something I've had issues getting enough in of, in the past.) It just depends on the density of what you're eating.

Alright! Hope you all have a good day and I'll update again soon. (: Bye.

-ashley

Controlling your glucose levels.

So, I've had a lot of low-blood sugar issues lately. Literally every night around midnight, right as I'm trying to get to sleep, I get all shaky and hot and I go and test my blood sugar and it's relativley low. Along with a few times periodically throughout a week at other times, it gets low. The only thing I can attribute it to is not eating enough. I was just raised up to 850mg of Metformin twice a day, but my doctor assures me it shouldn't have too much of an affect on my blood sugar since I've been on it so long. So I'm trying to eat more frequently, without grazing.

Since I've had this issue going on for a few months, I thought I'd share some tips on preventing low blood sugar, and how to raise it.. and keep it at a good level.

My dad is hypoglycemic, but has no metabolic issues or anything. Other than smoking, and an inoperable benign brain tumor, he's relatively healthy.... Works a hard labor job, etc.. Whenever his drops, he can grab Reese's Peanutbutter Cups and it'll go up and he'll be fine. He doesn't ever really test his blood sugar. He can just tell. On the few occasions we've tested it just for fun to get an idea, he doesn't start feeling it untill his blood sugar is about at 40.

Where for me, I can start feeling it in the 60's. Which isn't even that low. (So you can imagine how bad it is when it gets down into the 40's-50's..) But I've always been like this. I've been overly-sensitive. I can estimate what my blood sugar is at any given time, and I'll be within 10-15 points of it. It's annoying.. but it's become a good tool.

But most people aren't like that. They can't tell what their blood sugar is very often. So you need to test a little more often to get an idea, rather than only when you feel high or low.

I know Type 1 diabetics need to test close to 7 times a day. At least the few I know, anyway. My grandma who was type 2 had to test fasting, with every meal, and at bedtime. so about 4-5 times. And All my life I had to test 2-3 times a day, up untill the past couple years. Fasting, and 2 hours after dinner primarily. But I say occasionally 3 times, because whenever I would feel sick, as a little kid I culdn't automatically say I knew it was my blood sugar, because I didn't know. So that was always a pre-caution to rule out low or high blood sugar.

Before I get into tips on how to controll it, lets talk about symptoms of the two. Sometimes I used to think i was low, when i was actually high. Obviously the only way to be sure is to test. but here are the defined symptoms of high/low blood sugar:

High: (listed on this website. It describes it all better than I could.) http://www.emedicinehealth.com/high_blood_sugar_hyperglycemia/page3_em.htm

Low: Personally for me, I get dizzy, shaky, irritable, and tired. But all the symptoms are listed here -- http://www.emedicinehealth.com/low_blood_sugar_hypoglycemia/page3_em.htm

So there are the lists of symptoms, and aside from testing to make sure you know where you are, and if your high or low, here are some tips on how to control it.

To prevent high/low blood sugar: protein!! Eat protein with sugar/carbs. If you're going to have something that you know can raise your blood sugar (like for me, a muffin or something like that that I normally don't have..) have milk with it. Or some source of protein. Sugar attaches itself to protein, and It won't raise your blood sugar as much.

To control high/low blood sugar: For high blood sugar, unless you're diabetic and have insulin you can take, there isn'tmuch you can do. Just wait it out. Sometimes if mine's high i'll drink a glass of skim milk and sometimes i think it slowly helps bring it down, but i'm not 100% sure on the science of that, if it helps at all. But for low blood sugar? Eat sugar/carb + protein. Like, peanutbutter toast and a glass of milk. Or strawberries and a piece of string cheese. Occassionally when it's really llow, I'll add in a real meal.. Sort of an egg sandwich. But with only one piece of bread. I'll take a piece of bread, a slice of cheese, and fry an egg and put it on top.. and eat that. It fills me up. (obviously, it may not fill somene up that has a normal sized stomach.. but it'll do.) the carb really helps raise the blood sugar and because there is protein, it stays up.

If it's dangerously low, like, below 40-45 ish... drink orange juice, or have something high in sugar. and once your blood sugar is raised, then add protein to keep it up. it'll happen faster.

So I hope this helps clear some things up for some people, and keep in mind I'm not a doctor or anything. This is just from my 10+ years experience with testing and dealig with high/low blood sugar. Obviously if you have chronic high/low's, make sure you let your doctor know and see if they have any further advice or want to run any tests or anything.

I hope you're having a great day, and feel free to email me or contact me on facebook or something, if you want. (:

---Ashley.

PS: I'm going to my first support group for the sugery, tomorrow... with a bunch of teenagers that had WLS at the same hospital I did. It's a summer event... at a rec center, there's gonna be swimming and sports and stuff like that. I have previously met 2 or 3 of the people that are going, and have talked to a few other people online. But this'll be interesting.. I'll be sure to post about it later. Maybe pictures too, if I'm allowed. (:

One of the most annoying things about my life right now. (Hair loss)

I can't just say that it's an annoying thing about surgery, because that isn't true. This is most likely not-surgical-related --- because it was a problem I had before I even started looking into surgery.

Hair loss (and re-growth).

I was lucky, because I had very thick hair before this all started. I had thick stick straight strawberry-dirty blonde hair. I went through a phase in middle school where I dyed it brown a lot. and got highlights a few times. But I let it all grow out, and I haven't dyed it since.

Well!! around 2010 I started losing more hair than you're supposed to. (Most people lose around 100 hairs a day.) and I hadn't been to doctors as frequently as necessary for my Insulin Resistance, I needed blood work done.. sure enough when I went in in early 2011, I found out my thyroid levels were messed up, among other things.

That was around the time I was looking into surgery.

Well, the hair loss never stopped. Because as soon as the new medications started taking affect, I had surgery. and my body was thrown into a whole other cycle, it didn't know what the hell happened to it. I had issues drinking enough for awhile, although I did get enough protein in (and still do, most days.) The hair loss still hasn't stopped. I'm 11 months out now. It is freaking annoying.

I still lose a handful a day. I used to be able to wrap a hair elastic-tie thing around a ponytail 2-3 times. Now I can wrap it around 4-5 times. I used to like braiding my hair, because it would give it deep-looking-waves. And I would have to do like 4 braids all over my head, sleep on it, and wake up and take them out. Now I only need to do 1. and the 1 braid i do, is just a tiny bit thicker than one of the four I used to do.

It's insane.

Here, look for yourself.

That's just when I have my hair in a ponytail. So clearly I don't do that much anymore, unless necessary. and when I do, i use bobby pins and hair gel and stuff to keep it all back.

The re-growth is worse than the loss itself.

and what you see, is the re-growth. I'm still losing a lot of hair on a daily basis. The re-growth is going to continue for a very long time, and I have absolutely no idea how to get it to stop.

I don't have the money for biotin, and I asked my doctor about it and they said it hasn't been proven to help much anyway.

I take all my vitamins, get all my protein, and my blood work is all fine.

So I don't know. Maybe I need to increase my protein. But yeah.

I mean, I can make my hair look normal (although you can tell it's thinned out..)

see? 



That's how long my hair is. and I refuse to cut it off, although I know it would be easier. I regret it every time I cut it though. I chopped my long hair off in 3rd grade. and I chopped it off again in 8th. and I've always wanted super long hair, like, past my waist. I'm so close. So even though it'd be easier, I refuse to. I look terrible with short hair.

But it's SO much effort. I have to shower and wash my hair every day, or else it gets super oily and disgusting. shampoo. condition. comb. heat protectant. blow dry. straighten. finishing cream stuff to smooth it all down. comb again. and comb periodically throughout the day. and then shower again the next day. and another clump of hair ends up in the drain.

and I have to straighten it every day. because not only is my hair re-growing. but it's not growing in straight like the rest of my hair. it's growing in curly. and darker than most my hair.

wonderful, right?

I'm this >-< close to shaving my head. but again. I won't. because i love my long hair.

Ugh. It's bittersweet.

Okay. Rant over.

Bye!!! (:

-Ashley.

Chipotle!

Okay, seriously.. I never tried Chipotle before surgery. I eventually tried it around Christmas time, when me and my dad were out Christmas shopping.. He had had it before. and liked it. So he was glad when I said i wanted to try it. -- My best friend had been bugging me about it for everrrrr. So she was glad I did too.

I just got a chicken burrito bowl. with mild salsa cheese and sour cream and like 1/4th of it filled me up. and I didn't eat hardly any of the rice. amazing, right? And it was freaking delicious.. So.. I went home and went online.. Found their nutrition information.. and was surprised at how great it was for you..

I've since modified my order.. I ask for half the rice (even though they don't always do it.. I still ask) and extra chicken.. Sometimes I get lettuce, other times I don't. Then I always get a lot of fresh tomato salsa, sometimes I'll add on roasted chili corn salsa.. It's more spicy. (Spicy food is amazing. I'm so glad my sleeve can handle it.) then cheese and sour cream.

I can break it down into 3 full meals for me. And this is what it breaks down to be:

705 calories / 3 = 235

23.5 carbs /3 = 7.5

76.5 protein / 3 = 25.5

..........Did I do that right? 7.5 carbs and 25.5 grams of protein...? *Double Checks* yep... I did it right.

It's insane!!! Honestly. It tastes so good. and is such a good source of protein. And the total is like 7 or 8 dollars... for the bowl. Break that down to 3 meals... That's like $2.50 or something? Not bad. at all.

Definitely check it out. If you're into Mexican food, or trying new things, give it a shot. If your only a few months out from surgery I'd suggest getting the mild salsa, and if you like beans get pinto instead of black.. less spicy and easier on your stomach.

Have a great day. (:

-Ashley.

Post-Op Haircare.

I don't know about everyone, but personally for me I always hid behind my hair.. (and piercings.. haha) When my hormogne levels got jacked up I started losing hair, then medications made me lose even more hair, then after surgery I lost even more hair when I wasn't getting enough protein.. Then every time medicines get changed, I lose hair. It's vicious. My hair stylist thought i was like purpously thinning my hair out.. Because it's like only half as thick as it used to be. But then I explained all the medicine changes.. and that explains it.

Also, with hypothyroidism hair can become really dry and brittle.. Then with other hormognes being messed up it can get really oily. along with your skin being oily, etc... I have a really weird mix of both. And I hate it. I control it the best I can.. But it's still frustrating.

I've done lots of different things over the years.. and I use different products at different times.. But i just found a really good combination of very cheap things that help keep my hair as healthy as it can be... So I don't lose more.

Causes for hair loss: Messed up hormogne levels, not enough protein, not enough vitamins.

So basically: Get your medications figured out, eat enough protein, and get enough vitamins.

But on top of all of that, this is what I'm doing:

**Suave 2 in 1 Ph Balancing shampoo/conditioner.

**Herbal Essences Anti-Breakage Conditioner.

**Aussie Shine Spray/Heat Protectant

**Garnier Fructis Curl-Sculpting Cream Gel

Yes. I use the shampoo/conditioner combo and then a regular conditioner on top of it.. Rinse it all out. Use a wide-tooth comb through your hair, instaed of a brush or fine tuth.. To prevent breakage. Be gentle!!

Then run some heat protectant/shinespray or leave in conditioner or any smoothing product through the hair... and either air dry, or blowdry (If you blow dry, don't do it every day if you can help it. Less damage is better.) Style however you normally do, and because I have so much re-growth.. I have to find a way to matt it down or it looks like an afro along with my long hair..

So I use the curl sculpting gel (even though I usually straighten my hair) and smooth down the top layers everywhere. it smooths it all down and keeps the flyaways and regrowth down for the most part.

and that's that. (:

It's a lot harder with long hair, like mine.. But totally worth it. I contemplated chopping all my hair off because it's so jacked up if i dont spend time on it.. But I look terrible with short hair, and I'm trying to grow it out down to like my hips... I want to do Pantene Beautiful Lengths (Similar to Locks of Love.. but for cancer patients.. Locks of love rarely donates their wigs to cancer patients.) So I'm trying to keep my hair as healthy as possible.

This is my hair now by the way..:

I didn't do much to it today. I let it air dry, then just straightened the very front portion that is more frizzy than everything else.. along with everything else I mentioned above. Most days I'll either curl it or straighten all of it. But I was lazy today. Haha.





Kay, well I'm going to go now. Have a great day!!

~Ashley (:

Bari Wise Protein Cappucino Review!

I'm not a big coffee person.. But these are pretty great... My 13 year old brother likes them too. (when he slugs down 3 dr peppers a day, its surprizing he likes something with only three grams of sugar.)

I don't believe there is any caffeine in them, but the taste is stil there.. and it's one of the vew protein drinks i've found that you can drink, hot, that dont like.. curdle up.

http://www.dietdirect.com/bari-wise-health-hot-cappuccinos.html

I really like bari-wise.. a lot of their stuff is really good. (: Definatley check out diet direct.. the stuff is a little on the pricier side.. if you can get it, i definatley say go for it. I got a lot of stuff free, from a really great lady i met on obesity help when i was a more recent post-op... literally a massive box full of stuff. So i've gone through and tried all of it.. most of it was really good. there were a few things i didn't like so much, but you'll have that with anything.

I've gone back and ordered more of the fruit drinks, cappucinos, and one type of protein bar (which will be next to be reviewed... its amazing.) and there is  a ton more i want to try.

but yeah. if you like coffee, and need protein. this is amazing.. 90 callories, 4 carbs, 2-4 grams of sugar depending on the type (i've only tried the original.. i'm sure the others are great too) and 15 grams of protein...

(:

have a great day.

-ashley
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