Storytelling

On Saturday, 10/28/2023, I shared my journey through storytelling at a Tea Party hosted by my sister, Leonie at her home in New Jersey.

Heather's Kitchen Is Open

I am cooking again! I had my sister Sandra and cousin Maxine over for dinner on Saturday and my brother from another mother, Ian and his lady friend Gina, on Sunday.  I even baked a banana bread and made sorrel (a drink brewed from dried hibiscus).  I made enough of everything for them to have take out containers for dinner the next day.  

This is huge.  I cooked AND baked AND brewed with NO backache.  In between all of this, I did laundry, washed windows, vacuumed, dusted and cleaned. No backache!  Energy level on high! The old old Heather, of many years ago, is back!  Hallejuah!

It's not that I haven't been cooking, because I have, but just for myself, once or twice per week.  I bring lunch to work, but since I eat such small portions, I freeze most of it.  Cooking for others bring me joy and I am happy that I can once again. 

In the first photo below, notice the light beaming through my side.  That is called a waistline!  You probably can't see it, but the flabs in my upper back are disappearing. 

Plateau

No weight loss this week.  None.  Nada.  Thank Heavens, I had been told that my weight would plateau, because I would have thought I had done something wrong. So, I am still at 30 and I am ok.  This will allow my body to process the weight loss and prepare for the next round.  Well, that’s what I believe anyway.  It sounds logical and that’s good enough for me.

I drove to DC this weekend. Why is that significant on this journey of mine.  If not for the surgery, more than likely, I would not have made the trip.  My back would have been able to tolerate one hour increments of driving, meaning I would have to stop four times on this four hour journey.  At each stop, I would have had to peel myself out the car, then pull my spine up, which would still  have left me bent and in pain.  On this trip, I made one pit stop each way, with no issues getting out the car or standing.    

The past problem with driving would not just be my back talking to me, it had been actual advice from my previous physical therapist, chiropractor and sister Bev, the physical therapist extraordinaire, who resides in Jamaica.  12 sessions each of Physical Therapy and Chiropractic Services had not helped so I had given up on them.  Bev started. treating me virtually, however, she was doing exercises with me.  When I questioned her, she said I needed to lose the weight.  She was the only one who told me my weight had something to do with my back pain.  By this time, however, I had already made up my mind to have surgery, which Bev opposed.  With my weight loss and already better quality of life, I think she has come around.

I am blessed to have a great medical team at White Plains Hospital Bariatric Group.  I am also blessed to have a team who have had bariatric surgery.  I have been able to call on them, pre and post surgery.  It is my hope to share their stories in future postings, along with before and after photos, of course with their permission. 

White Plains Hospital Bariatric team, Dr Philip Weber and Coordinator Sandi Gallo

Thirty and counting

 What does the loss of 30 pounds look and feel like:

My 60s have never felt this young and I am closer to 70, than 60.

Daughter who saw me two weeks ago, stares incredulously at me this past weekend.   

My triple chin is down to double.

My double protruding belly is down to one.

I am fitting in pants where I don’t have to count to 100 as I take a deep breath for the zipper to go up and do it again to close the button. I can now breathe!

My dresses and tops now go over my belly, without having to tug them down. 

I  can bend to pick up things from the floor and not having to kick it/them over to a wall to hold onto, then bend, or asking someone to pick it/them up for me.  My belly no longer gets in the way!

My butt is no longer pointing up, out of alignment with my spine.  

Standing tall because I am no longer bent with back pain.

Walking tall, with a pep in my step from new found energy.

When I stand akimbo, with my hand on my side, there is a sunken place for it to rest, called a waist.  Yes, lawd, I have a waistline!!

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My New Normal

Going back to regular eating comes with its own challenges.  Intentional eating, I have to keep reminding myself, sometimes after the fact.  Take the day, I went to a breakfast meeting.  The only thing on the menu I could eat was fruits, a fruit bowl with six different fruit (strawberry, cantaloupe, pineapple, mango, blueberry, honey dew).  Instead of putting one or two fruit in the cup, I had them all (small portion, of course) and paid for it, with a tightness in my rib and breast cage.  And now I don’t know which is the culprit.  Woe is me!  When will I learn!!  The truth though, is it has been a good week.  I am even back to eating Jamaican, having reintroduced ackee and saltfish, and to my delight, it went down well.  I also had  tastes of small amounts of rice and peas and escovitched fish.  I made beef pumpkin soup with beef bone and that also went down well.  

My body has gotten used to not eating after 6pm, even if I have had only two meals for the day.  I  bring lunch to work and try to keep a regular eating schedule, but one day when my schedule was thrown off and I didn’t eat lunch until I got home at 4, I planned to have dinner at 8, but that wasn’t to be.  I wasn’t hungry and didn’t want to eat.

My blood pressure has been elevated and I had to go back on BP meds.  I haven’t been able to figure out why.  

This Wednesday, I will have my first meeting with the surgeon post surgery (my first appointment was canceled because he was called into surgery).  I will weigh in and post the results next week.  

I am so happy for this week’s summer temperature.  I will get to wear clothes that will not fit next summer and are now fitting properly, with a swing and not tight and rolling up on me. In my back closet, I have items with size 18 tags, which I bought over the years with plans to lose weight and fit into them.  The time is almost here.   

I am getting such favorable comments, not just about the weight loss which is more noticeable in my upper area, but my demeanor.  I am peppy.  I don’t slouch and wear that pain scowl from my once constant back pain.  

Barber not available so I gave myself a haircut.

My face is more elongated and my triple chin is down to double