Yesterday marked three months since my aortic valve replacement
surgery and today marks 13 weeks. At
this point, the doctors say I should be back to normal and feeling good. Thankfully, not only am I feeling good, but I’d
stretch it to say I’m feeling great and even better than normal. I’m not really sure what normal should feel
like since I’ve either been pregnant or with a faulty valve for the past 3
years. I do still have some incision
discomfort – especially when one of the kids accidentally hits it or scratches
it. And I had to have a stitch taken out
last week that didn’t dissolve. But
besides that, I have been very lucky to have such a smooth recovery. This will be the last time I talk about being
in recovery and I’m no longer going to use my surgery as any sort of
excuse. It’s time to go from being a
patient to being an active, healthy adult!
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| Three Months after Open Heart Surgery |
As of my last “weigh-in,” I’m down 20 pounds since I started
tracking it, which was around Christmas.
Most of it has been the past two months that I have been tracking
calories with the MyFitnessPal app and working out with my trainer, Ted. My ultimate goal is to lose at least 55 more. I know it’s not all about the weight, so I’ll
see how I am feeling and how clothes fit as I go.
Eating well continues to be a daily challenge, not only to stay
within my designated number of calories, but to make those calories come from a
variety of healthy choices. I tend to
get stuck in an eating rut and choose the same meals and snacks that I know I
like and will keep me under that calorie goal.
Prep is also difficult, with two little ones. I have come to majorly rely on coffee in the
morning, but I can’t drink it black so I add sugar and creamer. I include the calories in my daily total, but
this is the definition of added sugar. I’m
going to try to replace some days of this with a smoothie (I’ve pinned a lot of
energy boosting recipes to try) and see how I do. Still has sugar, but coming from fruit is
much better. My goal with food has
always been to maintain a balance. For
example, we walked around a lot at the zoo yesterday, so I knew it wouldn’t
kill me to have an ice cream cone. I
also packed our lunch to make sure to keep the temptations of pizza, popcorn,
etc. at bay.
Exercise has been going much better the past two weeks. Aiden is (finally!!) doing better at the gym
childcare, so I feel like I can stay longer and also hope to add another day
and try some of my favorite classes.
Working with a trainer has made a huge difference for me in the strength
department. He always has a plan and we
do different routines each time. He’s
motivating and honest without being too harsh, more like Bob than Jillian :).
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| My reward for progress - new workout pants! |
Overall, things are going well in the health department. My short-term goals are to cut out more
sugar, add at least one more gym day and start incorporating jogging into our
frequent walks. By putting this in here,
now I have to! Here’s to the next 20
pounds!
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