January 10, 2012

8-week post-op appointment

I've had a busy day today. It's Jerry's first day off work in 12 days (he works 12-hour shifts, so that's 144 hours of work in the last 12 consecutive days). I was missing him like crazy! I had my post-op appointment at 1:30 pm, so we decided to go to lunch in Dearborn before going to my appointment.

Normally, when I'm in Dearborn, I love to go to La Pita (a Middle Eastern restaurant). But Jerry doesn't like it much, so we decided to go to a place called Pizza Papalis, which has amazing Chicago-style deep dish pizza. Not the best choice for me to eat the day before my weigh in, but sometimes you just have to sacrifice that :)  I always gain about 2 pounds the day after eating pizza--it never fails!

When we got there, we noticed that there were parking meters, and luckily I had some change on me. We fed the meter enough for 1 hour and 20 minutes, which I was sure would be enough time. Since we ordered deep dish pizza, we had to wait a while for it to cook, but it was totally worth it. (You can clearly see why I'm not a food blogger by the quality of my food photos).


I ate two pieces of this baby, and saved enough room for dessert. A "deep dish" cookie with ice cream. It sounded so delicious, but I was VERY disappointed when I tasted it.



It was kind of burned on the edges, and very "cake like" in the middle, which I don't like. So we picked all the edges off and ate just the center--Jerry ate most of it. At that time, Jerry said, "We just hit the time to feed the parking meter" and I said, "I'm sure a few minutes won't matter--but you know what, knowing our luck, we'll get a ticket. So I'll go feed the meter and you can get the check."

I walked outside just in time to see a meter maid police officer writing a parking ticket for our Jeep! I said, "Excuse me! That's my car!" as I ran over there, and I tried to tell him that I was just coming out to feed it more change. He COMPLETELY ignored me. Like, he pretended I wasn't even there. Asshole! Of course he probably thought I was lying, because I'm sure he hears it all the time, but REALLY?!


It was $10 if we paid it within 3 days, so we got in the car and drove right to the stupid courthouse where I paid the ticket. The first parking ticket I've ever gotten in my life, and I watched the cop write it. Grr!

After that, we had about 30 minutes to kill before my appointment, so we went to the mall. I had a JCPenny giftcard for $25, and I decided to find something to use it on. I saw some really cute hats on sale:




I also found this shirt that I was SUPER psyched about finding:


The 3-0 is because I'm turning 30 in 15 days. Cheesy, yes. Awesome, also yes.


After the mall, I finally went to my appointment. I only had one concern, and it was a little fold of skin where my drain tube was--a small pucker. Hard to describe. Dr. Tepper told me that she could revise that right in the office (a short, simple procedure with just a numbing shot); so I set that appointment for January 26 (the day after my birthday).


Other than that, she said I'm healing perfectly. She took my "after" photos in the ugly blue panties that they use for those pictures ;)  She noticed that I'd lost weight, and she was very insistent that I stay at this weight now. She said that losing OR gaining will have an effect on how my skin adheres back to my muscle wall. She said that my weight right now is perfect where it is, so I should do my best to maintain. WOO HOO!!

I asked her about the cost of surgery when paid for out-of-pocket (one of my FAQ's about surgery); she said it is 100% dependent on the person and what their body shape is when they come in. The cost is all about surgery time, and if someone needs more work, it's going to cost more.

She said that my case was the "ideal" case, where I was in great shape before surgery and it was simple. Someone who had a lot more contouring would have to pay more, because it takes more time in the OR. So she said the only way to know is to get a consult. I gave Dr. Tepper my blog address and told her that I wrote a review about her and the hospital--so she may be checking it out ;) 

So other than my short revision in a couple of weeks, I don't have to go back for six months. Now I'm off to spend some more quality time with my husband! :)




And now, the results of the giveaway. I am completely SHOCKED that out of 166 comments, not a SINGLE PERSON guessed the right number of calories in the peanut butter!!  You guessed all around the correct number, but nobody guessed the exact number.

Ignore how dirty this scale is! haha

There was a total of 36 grams of peanut butter (this doesn't count the spoon).  The nutrition label said 200 calories for 32 grams, so that means there are 6.25 calories per gram. So 36 x 6.25 =...

225 calories!

Not a single person guessed 225. There was a guess for 224 and 226, however, so I will have to make another tea wallet to give away.

TriciaM guessed 224, so you're a winner! And Monica guessed 226, so you're a winner as well! Just e-mail me your shipping address, and I'll send you your tea wallet :)  (Oh, and Jen who guessed 226 as well, I'm sorry--but Monica guessed 226 first!)

Thanks everyone for playing, and let this be a lesson to us--peanut butter costs a LOT of frickin' calories! lol

I love the comment from jbu:  "I feel like I always scoop out that much peanut butter and try to tell myself that it's 1 tbsp...because I fit it onto 1 spoon--i'm afraid that knowing the answer to this might force me to stop doing that lol. My guess is 212 calories. Cute pattern!"

A lot of you mentioned that I should sell the tea wallets. I didn't feel right doing that because it's not my pattern, so I e-mailed the person who wrote the pattern, and asked if she might give my readers a discount in her Etsy store. She was SO KIND to offer you all a 10% discount on her Etsy items!! Here is a link to her shop; and she also has some adorable kids items as well, which can be found here.  All you have to do for a 10% discount is use the discount code "runsforcookies10".

On top of that, she also told me that I was welcome to make them and sell them as well! I think I will make a few, but I am not going to sell them as cheaply as she does--she charges just $9, which is a super bargain, in my opinion (it takes a lot of time to make something by hand). So feel free to check out her shop, but if you'd rather I make one for you, then I can certainly do that as well. I'll write more about it soon.

31 comments:

  1. I hate it when a yummy looking dessert turns out to be disappointing! Homemade is almost always better, imo. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. You look adorable in your new sweatshirt! Glad everything went well with your doctor visit! Thanks for sharing your amazing journey with all of us!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh dear! I'm sorry about the ticket - although, it's probably better he didn't "officially" hear you saying that because in most places it's technically illegal to feed the meter (as I learned on one of the worst days ever...) and sometimes has a steeper fine than the parking ticket!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow, I love PB - sure doesn't look like 225 calories, does it? I'm so hungry right now as dinner cooks - looking at that pizza and cookie dessert just hurts!! You look adorable in the hats!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I was so so off with my guesstimate! Ha ha ha.

    I am a new reader - what was your surgery?

    I love those hats. You are such a cutie!

    Sorry about the ticket. And the less than stellar pizza!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks for posting that link. She has some super cute purses on there! I am definitely buying a tea wallet! LOL!

    I'm glad you had a good follow-up. Congrats on starting maintenance!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Is the second hat a cat? It's so cute! And that pizza looks SO good.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh, and Happy Birthday! Mine is 6 days after yours, but I'm going to be 32 this year. :(

    I like to tell everyone I'm still 27, though. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oh man I guessed 227...I was only 2 off! Even though I didn't win I am still happy that the last year of counting every single calorie I put in my mouth got me that close!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Pizza Papalis is my favorite. It's the best pizza ever!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Sucks about the ticket, that has happened to me before and also yes 1982 rocks, today is my bday and I turned 30 too...woo hoo!!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. OMG I miss Michigan food. Middle Eastern and PizzaPapalis mmmmm. Congrats on the good post op appt. Sounds like everything is right on track. So happy for you!

    ReplyDelete
  13. That pizza looks so good! Why does pizza have to taste so good LOL? Your birthday is right before my husbands, his is the 28th, he's a year older than you :) 30!! So special!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Oh how i miss pizza Dam intolerance to Red sauces lol Tho im sure it's helping my weight loss more then i know it lol..

    Yaye for winning :) Total Random guess lol

    ReplyDelete
  15. The second hat is a cat ;)

    ReplyDelete
  16. ugh! I can't imagine how frustrated you were about the ticket.

    I would have sent that dessert back! Ok..whom am I kidding..I would have been super disappointed as well.

    I am happy to hear your post op went well!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Sorry about the ticket. But my gosh that food looks AMAZING. I'm sure it was worth it.

    Btw, a ticket like that here would cost 3-4x that much.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I'm sorry I missed the contest! I am awesome at estimating calories. :)

    I stopped eating peanut butter for almost 2 years because the calories were SO high for not that much food. Eventually I realized that peanut butter was beneficial and if I could measure it out and eat a serving size, it was okay.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I just wanted to tell you that I have been OBSESSIVELY reading your blog since I found it last week (on pinterest! haha) I am SO inspired and for the first time I feel like I can do this! I love that you are so real, will be so honest about what you eat and everything else in your life! I can't wait to read your new posts and I've even read all of your old ones! Thank you for this blog, it's amazing! It even inspired me to start one in the hopes of accountability... here goes nothing!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Oh snap! I tried to look at the previous comments to see if anyone an used my number. But there were a lot of comments. Shoot. Darn it. But the fact is that I'm happy that I guess basically the correct amount! I'm very into portion control and have been waiting to see what the right number was. So even though I didn't win I'm happy with the knowledge that I got so close! Yay!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Have you tried Better N' Peanut Butter? Half the calories of peanut butter and I don't think it actually tastes like peanut butter, I think it tastes like creamy Bit O' Honey. Drool.

    I want that deep dish like NOW. I'm an absolute nut for it. Sorry about the ticket. Those are the worst. We got one in Niagara-on-the-Lake Canada and it totally ruined a great day...$25 later. Pffft.

    LOVE the hats!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Didja get both hats and the cute top for $25? I think not! I LOVE that top--so cute! I saw those hats on sale at Penney's after Christmas. Wish I was young enough to pull one of them off--but I think that ship has sailed. I did buy a faux fur-edged sweater vest that I thought might be kind of young for me. I kept going back to the store and trying it on cause I loved it, but kept thinking, "No Pam, you're too old to wear this." And then I finally went back and bought it when it was on sale and I have worn it a couple times. Screw old age. You're only as old as you feel, right?

    So happy to hear the check-up went great. You look fantastic. My blubbery middle has really been bothering me lately, (I think it's fat as well as excess skin, so I probably would need liposuction as well as skin reduction), but I just can't justify spending all that money, cause my insurance won't cover anything having to do with obesity surgery. Isn't it great that now you have the okay, well actually the "stipulation," from the doctor that you are not to lose any more weight. You are now officially PERFECT.

    I think my guess of 178 calories says a lot about my ability to judge portion size and may be part of the reason I seem to be gaining weight. I've got to get back to weighing and measuring again evidently.

    ReplyDelete
  23. New reader here!! Loving everything I've read so far!! I'm so inspired, I'm so grateful I found you!!
    Excited to become a long-time reader!!

    :)
    Les

    ReplyDelete
  24. Cute hats! Another January birthday here - mine was yesterday :) That must have felt great to hear your doctor tell you to stay right where you're at because it's a perfect weight for you!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Oh wow...that deep dish looks a-mazing. I've never tried it, but I have big love for pizza! Cute hats! Glad to hear all is good on the recovery front. You must be the post-op poster child, let alone be the ideal candidate ~ that's awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Love the Hats, I unfortunately have some sort of weird face that makes me look weird in all hats except baseball caps, which look marginally okay. I have to tell you i've been trying to lose these last 20 pounds for 3 years. Finally last year I stopped craving most trigger foods. Alas the weight has stayed the same, then as if it was a sign I read about your contest and decided to weigh out an ACTUAl serving of Peanut Butter. OMG I was eating 2-3 servings with my celery as a "snack." Now I am marginally obsessed with my food scale that has been sitting in my kitchen drawer for 5-6 years. I already notice a difference after only 3 days, you have shown me the food measuring light. Thank You!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Had La Pita a few months back and I have to say it would be a hard pick between Pizza Papalias and La Pita!

    Just found your blog a week or so ago off Pinterest and I have enjoyed going back to read about your journey!

    Way to go!!

    ReplyDelete
  28. You look adorable in your new sweatshirt! Glad everything went well with your doctor visit! Thanks for sharing your amazing journey with all of us!

    ReplyDelete

I used to publish ALL comments (even the mean ones) but I recently chose not to publish those. I always welcome constructive comments/criticism, but there is no need for unnecessary rudeness/hate. But please--I love reading what you have to say! (This comment form is super finicky, so I apologize if you're unable to comment)

Featured Posts

Blog Archive