There's No Crying in Baseball

THERE'S NO CRYING IN BASEBALL!!!

By: Leilani (late OH member)

[Original draft written June 2004 - - Revised: April 2006]

That's the sentiment (scenario) that comes to mind sometimes when I hear some of the comments from people who've already had the surgery. In case you haven't made the connection, that's a line Tom Hanks made famous in the movie "A League Of Their Own." Resorting to tears or just giving up every time the going gets tough. Or your sick of taking vitamins, getting in protein is hard, water doesn't taste good, etc. That kinda' thinking is NOT going to make you successful or keep you healthy. ENOUGH already! It's time to LOVE yourself enough to get "TOUGH" wtih your aftercare. Your longterm health is worth it!!

Success comes with a backbone, NOT a wishbone!

First and foremost, you have to keep it POSITIVE. As with everything in life, if you think you can't - you WON'T! Simple enough?

I have to wonder when "we" (as adults) finally take ownership for our actions, our life and our health? We have been given a gift, a second chance to actually LIVE life again instead of merely existing on the sidelines. It's up to each of us to do that as healthy and productively as possible.

We're ALL statistics waiting to happen and the insurance companies are chomping at the bit. The bean counters are eager to drop Weight Loss Surgery ("WLS") from the policies; some already have. Don't you know that any negative feedback thrown into the mix only strengthens their cause? I may not be able to control every thing that happens to my body after WLS, but most things I can. I CHOOSE to take control and I will be a positive statistic when the numbers get counted.

We live in a spoiled society, expecting everything in life to come with a buncha really cool choices. Well, guess what? When it comes to your health, you're not always going to get a choice. You either DO IT and stay healthy, or you DON'T and your body pays the price.

The way I saw it, I had a 90 day healing and adjusting period after surgery. My 'super morbidly obese' body had more than enough stores to survive the learning curve. In turn, it gave me plenty of time to heal, adjust and learn. For those of you OVER 90 days Post-Op, the probation period is over - its time to get serious and LIVE what you've learned.

* You say you can't get in enough liquids throughout the day, don't like the taste of water, or just keep forgetting? -- TOUGH! It's not an option anymore. Find a way to do it, get suggestions and tips from others in support groups, message boards, etc. Read, learn and JUST DO IT!! Why do you think there is a choice here?

* You say you don't like the big horse pill type vitamins, or the tart chalky chewables? ... it's just too many to bother with? Or maybe you just can't remember to take them? -- TOUGH! You gave up the option NOT to take vitamins when you agreed to have your insides rerouted. FIND a way to get them in; crushed, minced, chopped, liquefied, in a shake, etc. No exceptions, your health depends on it.

* Protein is a must. So you can't get it all in via foods and you don't like the way the shakes taste? -- TOUGH! Either get it through your meals (and there are a gazillion food choices out there) or supplement it with protein shakes and bars.

Trust me, I don't drink my protein shake every morning because I think it tastes like a chocolate blizzard from Dairy Queen. I've tried many varieties over the last 2 years. I'd even venture to say 25 of the top sellers/flavors have crossed my lips. For the record? I've yet to find one that is as 'delicious' as boasted by the distributor. So what. I still drink one every morning. My HEALTH dictates that I need "X" grams of protein per day. If I'm not getting enough from my meals then I supplement a shake. 'Nuff said.

This surgery is a gift, I owe it to me and everyone else fighting the approval process, to do it right! I will continue to choke down my vitamins, my water and my protein every single day, for the REST OF MY LIFE. Some days will be easier than others, regardless, no days will be missed.

It's all about discipline. Create a routine, set a timer, develop a pattern, tie a string around your finger, glue a note on your forehead, whatever it takes.

You're an adult - take responsibility! 

If this surgery doesn't slap a back bone into you, not much will.

Pre-Surgery Therapy Should be in EVERYONE'S Tool-Box

I just can't say enough how much this therapy I'm getting is helping me.  I plan to continue it post-surgery as well, as I adapt to life as a normal-size person.  I see in the FB groups how difficult it is for some people...they get their stomachs redesigned, but do nothing about their thoughts, their beliefs, the way they react to stress.  People do NOT become morbidly obese without emotional issues that need to be addressed.

I've been sliding backwards with my eating...eating too much basically. Not really stuff that I have decided has no place in my diet (processed foods, bread, sweets), though I've had things I shouldn't a time or two. So to jump start myself back into the right mindset, I'm doing a week of "pre-op" diet. That means 2 or 3 protein shakes a day, plus broth and jello, then one meal a day that is 3-4 oz of protein and pretty much unlimited vegetables.  Yesterday was my first day and it went well, other than getting heartburn in the middle of the day.  I hadn't even eaten anything, but after some research I discovered that having an empty stomach can bring on heartburn.  Today I brought some broth and jello, plus I'll have a protein shake, then when I get home I'll have my cabbage casserole for dinner.  *edit*  No heartburn!  And the broth was sooooooo good and so satisfying I didn't even have my second protein shake.

It's now Day 3 of my pre-op diet kick-start. The first two days weren't nearly as bad as I thought they'd be and I'm still feeling really good about it.  The calories on Thursday were 675 and on Friday they were 713.  I'm going to try to stay closer to 650 or so for the rest of the 7 days...and I'm taking Metamucil every day, not just to help me not be hungry, but also to keep things moving. So far I'm down from 279.8 on Thursday morning to 274.2 this morning - about 5 and a half pounds!  Yeah, I know, it's mostly water, but I'll take it.  Can't wait to see where I am after 7 days of this.  Maybe I'll actually show a loss at my nutritionist appointment on Thursday! That is my 5th appointment, and on the 6th one they will be submitting to insurance and giving me a surgery date!  Oh my God, it's getting so close!  I'm going to plan on taking at least 3 weeks off when I have surgery...maybe more. I've got the leave, and I'll get on FMLA so my crazy manager can't do a damn thing about it.

I found some really good chicken bone broth...but I want to make my own. I need some chicken carcasses and chicken feet! Today I'm making buffalo bone broth.  It smells GOOD. Hope it tastes as good as it smells!

My foot is hurting some today.  I was hoping it would stay good and I'd be able to exercise tomorrow, but we'll see.  Right now, per my psychiatrist's suggestion, I'm exercising one day, then resting two...to make sure my feet don't get really bad again. Then when I can do that with no discomfort, to increase it to every other day. Tomorrow is my day to exercise, but if my foot is feeling like this, I dunno. I'm going to try to get at least 10 minutes in, but I'd really like to get at least 20 between the elliptical, the recumbent and the treadmill, as well as some core work.

Core work is SO important. As Wendy my chiropractor said, the FAT is what is stabilizing my spine and back and joints...and when the fat goes, so does the support.  That only makes sense, I see so many people in the groups have so many problems with their bones and joints after they lose a bunch of weight. It's almost counter-intuitive though, you would think that lightening the load on our bones and joints would only improve things. But is doesn't. So, that is what we're going to be working on the next couple of months, getting my core STRONG. When I'm not so broken down, I am going to pick up my kettle bells again...they are AMAZING for core strength!