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I'm Free!


 Hello Friends!

Well this entry has been a long time coming and I am so happy to tell you that as of yesterday I have been cleared to return to work and life with no restrictions!  (Except I am still on pureed food).

I am ECSTATIC!

I know many of you probably want to know how much weight I have lost since my roux n y bypass surgery on June 5, 2025.   I am very proud and happy to report I am currently down 51 pounds!!!   :-)

I purposefully did not weigh myself until my clearance follow up appointment with my surgeon because my focus is not on how much I do or don't weigh.   My focus is on my body and keeping it healthy.    But I won't lie, I cried tears of joy yesterday in the office.    This process has been such a struggle and to finally have some positivity out of it was just so overwhelming to me.   I was so thankful my husband was there with me to share in that moment with me.

But now the real work begins.

I am returning to work on Monday (I work from home) and am so excited to do so!    And making sure I have my vitamins in, hydration in, protein in and movement in will be a balancing act.   But it is one that I am looking forward to figuring out.   Currently my hydration requirement is 64 ounces of a hydrating liquid (non caffinated, non sugar and carbonation free liquid) a day.   I am to hit 70-80 grams of protein per day.   There is no calorie counting since I eat ounces of food at a time.   I also cannot eat pasta or rice.   This is because of the expansion issue it can cause in my roo (I have named my new stomach pouch my "roo" because it's a pouch like a kangaroo!)   And I eat every 2-3 hours which is about 6 small meals/snacks per day.

I was cleared for pureed foods this past Monday and it is going okay.   My pain has been higher as these foods digest through my new digestive system.   Because of the complications with the bowel obstruction, my intestines essentially had to "wake back up" coming off three weeks of a liquid diet.   So yes I have had some discomfort.   But, compared to the pain I was in post surgery, it is totally tolerable.   I am pretty sure my pain tolerance increased through this whole process as well (which is a good thing).

I will be starting a gentle daily stretching/yoga routine to slowly wake my body back up to movement and begin that very gentle conditioning.   I am hoping at my 6 week appointment in a few weeks I'll be cleared to do a little more in terms of movement.   I also know I don't want to overdo it either as I don't want to set myself back again.   So it is a really fine balance I'm trying to find right now.

Today I was able to go to a dear friend's house and have a visit for a few hours.   I felt normal again!   It was such a nice visit with her and we had a lot to catch up on!   But it gave me back some normalcy which I think I have been seeking,

Something I wanted to make mention of here today is that if you are going through or thinking about bariatric surgery, I'd love to talk to you more.   I really want to make a network of people with similar experiences and desires to become more healthy.

Something else I wanted to make mention of is that bariatric surgery or the use of medication to assist in meeting your health goals is NOT taking the easy way out.   It is not cheating to use the tools available to you.   Don't believe those people that say otherwise.   Those people want to keep you unhealthy because it makes them feel better.   Life is too short to not be empowering and to lift each other up instead of tearing each other down.   That was part of the reason I started my blog.   To be a positive force out there, to uplift you and to make you smile.    Heck - I'd be happy to make you laugh!  :-)   But that is just me.

I wanted to also let you know that you can find me on the following platforms as well:

Instagram - findingemilee

TikTok - findingemilee

Let's get a community going!   Let's be a positive influence in our world.

Talk to you soon!

Yours Truly -

Emilee


Disclosure -"The information provided on this blog is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice.  I am not responsible for any actions taken or decisions made based on the content of this blog;   Always seek the advice of a qualified professional for any specific questions or concerns.  This blog is a personal opinionated blog and doesn't reflect the opinions of any organizations I may be affiliated."


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