Laurie Unblocked: My Bariatric Journey

I will admit, I am better about tracking my food after surgery than I was before. It seems immensely more important now to make sure I hit those protein and water goals when I can only eat a little at a time. I also notice how much more exhausted I am if I don't hit those goals.  I tried tracking apps and I just couldn't find one that felt right. Currently, the only goals I am tracking are protein and water. I can't each more than 3 to 4 ounces at a time and it's all protein and fiber, so there isn't much else to worry about. Most of the apps want way more information than that and it felt very overwhelming.  Then I looked at paper trackers that you could buy. I found printable ones online that could go into a planner or journal. I found entire books. None of those seemed right for me either. Some were too busy, some were not organized in a way that made sense to me. It was a bit disappointing, but led me to where I needed to be.  I used to really love scrapbooking,...

Here I am about to go into surgery.  February 11, 2025 was the day of my gastric sleeve surgery. It took about 9 months from the time the doctor suggested the surgery to get to the actual operating room. Those months sometimes felt like the longest months of my life, and sometimes they flew by faster than I could process. I can tell you I went into it fully expecting to be found an unsuitable candidate.  I have struggled with my weight since my 20's. At 23 I was diagnosed with complete heart block and had a pacemaker put in that I have since been 100% dependent on. After that my weight started to creep up. I did lose weight occasionally, but not when you would consider it normal, and it was definitely not sustainable.  I had 2 pregnancies after my pacemaker surgery (1 before) and lost weight during each of my pregnancies. After delivery I would put weight back on. I had many difficulties during my pregnancies including cholestasis of pregnancy, which explained why I had d...