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Blog 79244
 

What Next????????????????????? ???????

I received a phone call yesterday while I was in training at my job from my doctor's office manager. She called to let me know Dr. McCowan was not in network with my insurance company, but they have their application in process to become in network providers. I was speechless! :cursing:I asked her what you mean my doctor is not in network with my insurance company. I asked-day one before I chose Dr. McCowan to be my surgeon if he as in network with my insurance company. I was told yes he was. My husband included the high opp. plan so his benefits would pay 90%, and I would only have to be responsible for the remaining 10%. That is a big difference when you are talking about several thousand of dollars. After I have done every single thing required for me to do, I am being told this none sense by his office!!!! My insurance has approved me for this procedure and my pre-op is schedule on 7-14-10 @ 9:15 am and my surgery is scheduled to be on 7-21-10. Due to unforeseen additional financial expenses, my procedure will be postponed for a later date. This is totally unfair and heart breaking news for me. Someone may ask how I not knew my doctor was not in network with my insurance company. I called and asked the insurance company and my doctor before this entire process was started. I was told by both parties everything was fine and 10% is the only out of pocket expenses I had to be responsible for. I started getting bills from my doctor's office with high balances. I was paying my entire portion up front before any visit or procedure was done. That was the first red flag, but I was told by the office manager everything was cleared up and corrected on their end. I started calling my insurance company myself to see what was going on around April when the second bill notice was mailed out to me. I was then told by my insurance company they accepted his insurance but at 70% instead of the 90% that I was originally told. I was told several times by the office manager everything was being cleared up, but within 2 weeks of getting my band it's all been a lie. The difference of my 10% out of pocket and 30% is about $2500 additional dollars. I am not financially prepared to pay that due to some other financial obligations I have. I spoke with another person who works with Dr. McCowan to see if he will do my procedure at the 10% rate, because that was the original agreement. I am just praying something workout before my actually date. :smile2: I do have faith in God that he will and has always worked things out in my favor.
shonette

shonette

7
Blog 95742
 

Getting started

I am just getting started,I am on medicaid, & medicare, I weigh 260lbs. Witha BMI of 40.2. has medicare or medicaid paid for anyone's surgery,please let me know.can't weight any longer. Oh yea medically I qualify for everything.   :smile2:
lnhardemon

lnhardemon

4
Blog 75574
 

Starting your Day Right!

:smile:From a Daily Devotional Book by Joyce Meyer!   Just thought this was an appropriate quote for all us LapBanders!   "When I said, My foot is slipping, Your mercy and loving-kindness, O Lord, held me up." Psalm 94:18   Some people seem to start their day on the "wrong foot." They feel all right when they wake up, but as soon as something goes wrong, they lose their footing and walk with a "losers limp" the rest of the day. Once they are off to a bad start, it seems they never catch up.   If someone offends us early in the morning, our anger can keep us defensive all day. If we start the day rushing, it seems we never slow down. But today our feet can be firmly planted in God's Word. There will be no "bad day" when God's Word supports, strengthens, and directs us.   **********************************   I know that my cause was self destructive, the reason I became a "fat lady". I always had bad days, because I brought them on myself. I DO believe that obesity is a disease, and a mental state that is hard to overcome. The LapBand AP is my salvation from obesity, but without the strength from God and God's Word, I could not have done one thing!!!! This is my journey with the band, but my partner God is my true savior! I am soon approaching my one year bandiversary, and when I first started to blog, I read about all the "others" who had been one year or more out, and could only imagine how I would feel, it was like a dream to me as I am sure all of you who have just signed on feel.   It will come, slow down, enjoy life around you, help others, feel and be blessed by all of this, yet remain humble, and always appreciate the blessings in your life and always give back to others and you will recieve so much more.   God Bless you all on this wonderful journey to health and happiness!:smile2:
Blog 95493
 

25% of target weight loss achieved!

I made it down the last lb. today to achieve my 25% lost goal. Very excited about that! 25 lb gone - now at 217.   Next goal is to break in the 200's. Haven't been there since 2004 or before. Would like to achieve before my next dietician appt on 9/1. However, at a pace of 2 lbs a week, I'm setting the goal for 9/17. Either way will be victory and what i love about the band is I AM IN CONTROL. It doesn't come back unless I chose for it to by my choices. It feels great to be able to know that the scale can be counted on to go DOWN!   I hear on my program there's a plateau so that's why I am so excited about the lb finally coming off. Took a week. Dietician said after 4 weeks liquid diet, now that I'm having pureeds the body will hold onto the carbs. I'm going through a 'metabolic shift.' Here we go!!   Enjoy your day and if you are down, know that you CAN do it and everyone here is SUPPORTING you. If you are up, leave a note of encouragement for someone. Posting here is mainly for myself so I can log my journey, but I can't tell you the lift I get from newbies and seasoned bandsters when they share their successes and encouragement. It's cool to hear positivity from others and it's invaluable on this journey! Thanks for reading and listening! :smile2:   Make it a great day!
Drake alp

Drake alp

6
Blog 91736
 

The demons inside of me

Last night was a bad night to be fighting the demons, I call them demons because they go inside my head and tell me things like I'm not good enough or I'm not losing enough. It is a constant battle with them. Whenever I become positive about the surgery, they seem to come from out of nowhere and start with me. It is a tug-a-war between me feeling good about myself and me feeling depressed, I can't seem to get past this no matter how much weight I lose. It just isn't coming off fast enough. It's like I want to lose it over night but I know that won't happen. I look in the mirror and get so sick of what I see...the big belly, the rolls, the saggy skin. How could anyone love me like this? Good thing we have clothes to cover our bodies up. I don't know how to get rid of the demons, I used to cut myself to relieve the pain I felt inside but with the help of medication I don't have that urge anymore. I just need to find a way to keep them from coming back. My head hurts and I feel overwhelmed with emotions when this happens. If any one else feels this way, let me know what works for you.
khunt719

khunt719

2
How I lost 100lbs
 

The problem with fat people is....

Ok so I'm by no means thin or skinny but my surgery has definitely helped, if not made me change my outlook on food and over eating.   I now know and understand how the rest of the world looks at us and why some almost feel a disgust for us. I never understood it until now... and now that it's finally clicked I never want to be there again.   Before I continue let me first say I don't believe in discrimination against anyone for any reason. I also do not believe in judging a book by it's cover and I realize this may be hard for some of you to read or accept but it's my thoughts and my blog and if you're bothered by what I say, feel free to kindly hit the x, or take part in a respectful and intelligent debate. I'm up for either.   All of that being said...let me continue. The problem with fat people is... 1.) We're killing ourselves 2.) We (meaning most) do nothing about it 3.) We've developed such shameful eating habits that we've also developed denial right along with it. 4.) We encourage others to eat with us, as if when we eat with other people it doesn't count. 5.) We seek out others like us, so we have eating buddies.   I can go on and on about all of this.. but it has really just got to stop.   So, my ever so rude awakening came when I opened my home to a young lady from church. I invited her to stay with the hopes of helping her grow spiritually and financially and remove her from the living situation she was in.   Everything was ok at first, until I started noticing her eating habits. Just greedy and fat and not in a cute lil' have a fat day and pig out kinda way. In a I eat like this EVERY day at EVERY meal kinda way.   Understand this is not a rant about any one person, I just use my examples as a reference point.   It's hard for me as a foodie to live with someone who eats so extreme, especially when I'm still recovering and being delivered from that area myself.   For years I had myself fooled that "I didn't really over eat." because I went all day without eating and then thought nothing of going through the drive thru at 10pm for 2 double cheeseburgers, fries and sweet tea. Rationalizing it in my head that I hadn't eaten all day. When the truth of the matter is, that was too much freakin' food at one time, for anyone at any given time. I was eating like a linebacker and wondering why and how I ended up with the physique of one.   I really thought there was nothing wrong with my behavior, or at least I thought, I thought that.. looking back on it I realize now that I would ALWAYS mute my phone while ordering so the person on the other end didn't hear. Or eat it in the car and throw it away before I went in the house, even though I lived by myself... All acts of a shamed and guilty person.   So now I have a young lady in my home who thinks nothing of downing 3 fried hotlinks at a time. These are not small hotdogs, I mean the hillshire farm kind that can be split in two and used as a hotdog...that type. Someone who I made 2 boxes of mac & cheese for easy leftovers, I had 1/2 of cup and went back to put it away only to find an empty pan.   Someone who as I'm making cookies for church (simple breakaway readymade ones) can't control themselves and takes a block of unmade cookies and thinks it's funny.   Someone who has lunch, then comes home and ransacks whatever is in the fridge not an hour later, eating a dinner I prepared for someone else.   And to be honest....it's disgusting. I had to stop and have a moment and repent for thinking so poorly of someone but then I realized being obese really truly is a disease. The trouble with fat people is, we don't see it often times until it's too late. We're literally eating ourselves to death and it's disgusting to watch.   I wonder how many times did someone think the same of me? People would always make comments to me about how they don't consider me "fat" that being "fat" was gross and that I wasn't, I was just overweight. Skinny/thin people would make these comments to me and I never understood why, or what made me different. Was it the way I carried myself? How I dressed? How I was shaped? No what it is, is that I NEVER ALLOWED them to watch me pile food into my mouth like some out of control cross between a hungry hippo and a garbage disposal.   Even if I was eating out with people I would eat normally. Sometimes over indulging in bread, but always having a takehome bag/box. UNLESS, I was having a "fat day" with one of my "fat friends" who had lured me out to eat something fattening and just indulge in it. This is where we sabotage ourselves and each other.   While it's fine to have a cheat day or meal, we shouldn't encourage it with each other. I have a good friend who lives in another state and we would both get Oreo shakes and bacon cheddar wedges from Jack in the box and eat them while on the phone together when we were having "bad" or "fat" days... WHO DOES THAT?!?!??! Fat people...that's who!   I notice too how my friends plan their vacations around eating, I've had 3 people say to me "Oh when I get there, we're gonna eat this this this this ____ this this this blah blah blah..." I just kinda laugh it off when the reality is ummm NO WE'RE NOT... you might, but I'm not.   Then the funny part is when you don't indulge your fat friends will then start to try to gode you into eating with them, by saying things like "Oh you think you're too good now cause you lost some weight?" or something to that effect, even though it's in a joking manner.. they still mean it.   Or friends who look at you funny because you've lost weight... and say things that they mean as a compliment but really just come out sounding bitter.   We do it to ourselves...all of this to ourselves and the problem with Fat people is we're sick and we don't even realize it. Looking back on it I know and realize I was addicted to food. The tastes, the flavors, the textures.. I would almost get a high off of it. I think that's why it's so hard for me to watch others now who are still sick.   It's like when someone stops smoking, they can't stand to be around other smokers.. it's the same feeling..   Ok I'm rambling.. feel free to respond or not I just needed to get this out.. these thoughts were blocking my other thoughts I needed to get to for another writing I'm doing.. but man.. whew.. I feel better :smile2:
Yvette1026

Yvette1026

9
Blog 69665
 

Job done

:smile2:Well its been ages since I blogged, but a fair bit has happened in that time. I past all the goals I set for myself and had the tummy tuck done on the 13 April so it was all before my one year bandaversary. How do I feel now????? Well thats the strange thing , instead of jumping up and down alday everyday I still find myself in that fat head space:confused:It takes a lot to see the changes we make and the fact that this is it forever is huge. Dont get me wrong its great and I now wiegh 72kg and have a great time at parties and go out because I have stuff to wear and the kids think this is great too. But....... I am still the same person on the inside and an awful lot of peopledont seem to get that at all, I am a lot less defensive and on edge and a lot more tolerant , but in sdaying that people are of me now that the fat has gone, so I wont take all the blame for that one. It must be the weather, it's cold and rainy here:thumbdown:But good luck to you all and to those at the beginning of the road keep walking down it because it is worth it. Cheers Chooky:smile2:
Chooky

Chooky

1
Blog 85448
 

Wow - What A Difference 50 Pounds Makes

At my highest I was 283 - now I'm 235...almost 50 pounds off. What really brought it home to me was went I took my five-year-old niece to the beach last weekend. Any one who has a small child knows that after a long day of play, with no nap, "cranky" makes PMS look like a walk in the park. So, when my niece whines, "Aunt Jill my legs hurt when I'm walking(chafing in a wet bathing suit)!" I had no choice but to pick her up and carry all 45+/- pound of little girl to the car. That is a lot to lug! That was what I was dragging around with me for the past seven years. No wonder my back no longer aches and my feet don't bother me and I can actually walk from my office to the downtown area for lunch. No - I'm not "thin" - yet - but I'm slowly but surely on my way.:smile2:
RavenClaw779

RavenClaw779

4
Blog 95458
 

The journey begins....

I went to a seminar at TrueResults two weeks ago and have been to a consultation. I'm going to go for my pysch eval, ekg, pft (pulmonary function test) and nutritional counseling appt on 07/13. I'm glad that they'll all be on the same day. The only thing else I know I need to provide (that I know of this minute), is results from a sleep-study I did a few years ago.   I'm really hoping that my insurance will approve me quickly and that I can get the band in early/mid August. I'm tentatively scheduled for mid August.   I'm kindof anxious about getting this done, but I am also ready for it. I'm tired of feeling unattractive. I want to feel attractive and definitely want to be healthier.   Well, that's all for now. :smile2:
nomorejellybelly

nomorejellybelly

0
Angela's Blog
 

Must make time to prepare and Pain is not my friend

I have found that if I don't prepare food and portion it out for the week for lunch I don't do so well. I end up having a long period of time between meals and feel sick. I am in training this week and didn't prepare my meals like I would normally. Don't get me wrong. I bring my food from home, I am just not bringing something satisfying. So then, I am hungry after a few hours and end up stretching that time out until dinner because I didn't bring a good protein snack with me. I do this it seems every other week. Next topic. Pain. My knees, hips, back, legs. For years I have felt twinges, dull aches, sharp stabbing pains. I was always told, LOSE WEIGHT. Well I have started to do that and well, it hurts even worse. Go figure. Turns out I have arthritis in my knee and I have been advised no treadmill or walking long distances. Stationary bike or water exercises until the knee is better then try the elliptical. Not a good prognosis.
anglov

anglov

2
Blog 86790
 

Back down to 237

ok guys so currently i weigh 237 and i have been holding off on starting the couch to 5k bc my husband says that i need to be under 220 before i start any running program. i have now decided to ignore that and i got a friend of my to join me and we are starting the couch to 5k on monday. im soo excited. im having a hard time losing weight lately bc i hit a plateau. a few weeks ago i started working out hardcore and gained back 4 of the lbs i lost and it got me really discouraged, so i stopped working out. well i started back up this week and i feel good about it. i think i am just going to stay away from the scale as much as possible. i go in for my 3rd fill in 2 weeks.last month i didnt need one so i think bc im getting hungrier that i need one this time around. wish me luck with the couch to 5k. im kind of intimidated by the program, but hopefully it will work out some stress. lord knows i have alot of that right now.
Countrychic

Countrychic

3
Blog 95885
 

6'2 and shopping

I have my first consult next week, and have been nervous and excited since I made the decision to discuss it with my diabetic doctor. I just came from a mini vacation in Chicago, and felt so out of place. I was with my best girlfriend, and walking in Bloomingdales, Macy's, Nordstroms, etc....was just too much....I felt like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman....I felt like people judged me for even being in the store.....I touched a little black dress in a size 16, and can't wait to go back and buy it....   This is the biggest challenge of my life....my husband had an affair, and I put the blame on myself....no more. I am doing this surgery for my health and longevity. Im giving up my soda, my huge portions of food, and even with an amputation am willing to walk.....I have to do this.....:frown:   One of the most wonderful things I am looking forward to, is going shopping.....in my closet... I have sizes 14-26, and will be able to wear clothes I haven't even put on yet......can't wait.....Being a very tall girl, I also look forward to seeing what my feet really look like, and will paint my toes to match my outfit.
janer4538

janer4538

2
How I lost 100lbs
 

It's the strangest thing.... *Overshare warning*

It's the strangest thing to watch and feel my body lose weight and change. I mean just the weirdest sensation. I have to wonder why I didn't feel this when I was gaining weight. As uncomfortable and as many weird sensations as I've felt losing it, you would think there would have been some tell-tale signs when I was gaining; but no. Or maybe I just chose to ignore them.   So the strangest sensation to me is feeling my ummm private areas shrink. I know most overweight people have what they call a "fat pad" covering their pubic bone area.. but as my stomach shrinks and that area shrinks it's just the strangest feeling. I woke up this morning like something was "off" so I go and look in the mirror and I was right something was indeed off.. FAT and unwanted pounds. But now.. now one side of my stomach is an inch tighter than the other side.   Ok so maybe all of this is an overshare but I KNOW I cannot be the only one experiencing this. Like I look in the mirror and while I never had a HUGE belly it did hang more than I would of liked stopping just before my pubic area..but now the right side is up and so is the left, just not as much as the right.. a whole inch difference to be exact.   Thank the Lord for being celibate right now because ummmmmm my naked body changes on a daily basis! There's no hanging/sagging skin - THANK YOU JESUS! but the fat I do have is shifting/changing where it's deposited at as I lose it. For instance.. my bra-line incision is now in the middle of my stomach and to the left, not under my bra and centered like it was.   I'm at a point where I'm SO anxious to see what's underneath all of this, I now understand why people get surgeries like liposuctions and tummy tucks... Watching my stomach shrink and get definition is AMAZING to me... especially when I really haven't been working out. I know I know.. I could be alot further on in my process but I was so consumed with other things I wasn't making time to workout like I should...and the muscle weight gain I experienced was a turn off but now I'm back at it. Doing what's necessary to burn the rest of this weight off and sculpt the beautiful body I know is underneath. I've always had a nice shape, just a big shape..an hourglass but the big ben of hourglasses....if that makes sense lol.   So I'm SUPER anxious and motivated to get to the final result. In the meantime these sensations are just SO weird to me.. and when you think about it, it shows you just how amazing the human body really is.   The sensation I'm experience is my skin being able to breathe, being exposed to air after being covered by layers of fat or rolls previously. First it itches and can be painful as the skin is healing but then it just heals up into smooth, soft, supple skin. It's the most amazing thing.   The down side is seeing stretchmarks where I didn't know I had them.. like the backs of calves. I've always had nice legs, big, powerful, muscular, as the little bit of fat that was on them goes, I can see the traces of stretchmarks, everyone says I'm crazy and they don't see anything, but I see it, has to be in the right light but it's there.. I see it! Then again I've had stretchmarks since I was 8 yrs old... They're all old and faded and blended in with my skin. Only if I tan too much do they really show or turn red.   Ok I'm rambling but seriously this journey is just AMAZING to me... absolutely, positively AMAZING.
Yvette1026

Yvette1026

4
Blog 3012
 

Two weeks post-op update

Hello all! Well, today is not only my birthday but it is my two week post-op day! :thumbup1: After surgery, I did really well. I was only in the hospital overnight, I was up walking around the day of my surgery and the next day as well. The biggest problem I had was drinking the fluids. My throat hurt from the tube, and I had a hard time swallowing. I found that Broth was about the only the that made that better. In fact, it's all I wanted to drink for the first three days. I regret however, or should I say I regret it after today...I did not follow the "diet" plan like I was supposed to! :scared0: The first week I did great on liquids but the second week was the hardest and I had a lot of "hunger" pains. In my stomach at times, but also a lot of "head hunger".:closedeyes: So my second week I started the second phase of my diet. And I began eating refried beans. And I loved 'em. It was great!:thumbup: But I felt so guilty and worried all of the time that I was injuring something by not following the plan. So were the beans really worth the guilt and worry....ABSOLUTELY! :001_tt2: Now I'm in the stage where I am to start eating mushy soft foods, but I've already had Maui Maui tacos without the shell, a peanut butter cookie, pudding (which wasn't on my list), quiche, and a piece of a fruit tart. :ohmy: All of this and I should only be on soft foods. Here is my problem, and judge me not unless you've walked in my shoes, I don't do well with rules, that's why I'm in the situation, right? BUT I WAS STARVING PEOPLE! Literally wanting to join the termite community and eat a house down. :tongue_smilie: but today....I woke up from a nap with the worst, most God aweful taste in my mouth and a burning fire in my throat. :scared0::cursing: Within seconds I was on the phone with my Dr. who instructed me to take prilosec/prevacid for my acid reflux. Today is my birthday, and all I want in the world is to be able to eat normally. And I can't. And that sucks! But I'm 21 lbs down (pre-op) and 14 lbs down (post-op) (my weight went up in the hospital, so I'm counting that) So I guess I want to know, is there anyone out there like me? Have any of you done what I have? And what were your results/complications? Peace and Love, ChubbyGirl:tongue2:
chubbygirl

chubbygirl

4
Blog 93073
 

A little confused

Watched the Jillian Michaels show last nigt. I took some workout pointers and done them this morning.....Some days it's easier then the next....When you have a husband or boyfriend in your life doing things that distracts your positive energy...I'm still going strong....I want this to bad to give up....Down 35 lbs.:frown:
blossoming

blossoming

2
Blog 91167
 

1 week after..

I can't believe I'm 1 week out from my surgery. The first 3 days I was so nauseated that the thought of liquids other than water touching my lips made me gag.   By day 4 I was actually willing to have some sort of soup but definitely NOT chicken broth. My mom is Thai so she made a Thai soup which she always made me when I was sick, called Khao Tom (Rice soup). It's basically as it sounds, but the rice is cooked so long and it turns into yummy rice flavored liquid. I was still forcing myself to eat because I just didn't have the hungry feeling. It was so weird I could feel my stomach growling, it was like, "what's going on down there!"   Around day 6 and 7 I could start feel my hunger coming back. Not to the point where I was starving but when my tummy grumbled I knew I was a bit hungry. I've been reading the forums and found that Egg drop soup is good protein and since I love Egg drop soup, that's all I've been eating. I'm still only consuming about 400 calories a day and trying to get in my protein shakes.   And the port and gas pain is so annoying. For the first few days it was hard to even go to the restroom, at times I'd sit there for about 30 mins trying to figure out a way to maneuver getting up so that it didn't hurt. I thought I had a pretty high tolerance for pain but I thought wrong. I was and am still worried about moving around weird that I'll mess something up. Right now I can walk and move around and bend down without feeling much pain but I still worry. My incisions seem to be healing well but I don't know whats going on inside there.. I'd hate to have something go wrong. And my stomach itches like crazy!   I can't believe I actually had the surgery, it still doesn't feel like I really did it. Probably not until I get some restriction and I can start working out again will I notice. Not so much about the weight but more so the change in my life.
someuser

someuser

2
Blog 85418
 

switching drs.

I am not happy with my doctor. I don't like he is informing me of what I need to do next. He didn't even come back by to see me when I was in the hospital. I also have heard that most people have had only 1-3 cuts. I had 5 and just don't understand why. I am thinking of changing drs. I am not sure if you can change drs. Someone please advise it they have had to switch drs. I will be going for my 1st fill in a week.
rokelay7

rokelay7

7
Blog 92116
 

my BODY IMAGE....

I think I have been suffering from a “body image disorder”…. But only not a bad one, a good one, which in the end turned out to be bad…. You know how an anorexic person looks in the mirror but still sees herself as fat, even though she’s only skin & bones? Well, when I look in the mirror, I still see the beautiful, healthy, slim young lady that use to smile back at me 20 years ago. I guess I never really saw myself as “fat”. Sounds great at first but I guess it is kind of bad b/c it took a picture to shock me back to reality-----> that’s when I saw how fat I was!!! So I guess the reality check is a good thing b/c it’s motivation to lose weight!! :frown: Body image is a term which may refer to a person's perception of his or her own physical appearance, or the interpretation of the body by the brain. Essentially, body image describes how one perceives one's appearance to be in relation to others, which in many cases may be dramatically different from one's objective physical condition or how one is actually perceived by others.
J_BandRanger

J_BandRanger

4
Blog 92116
 

my husband loves me!!!

I figure since I talked about my "meanie daddy" yesterday, I should take a moment today to tell everyone that I have an awesome, supportive, fantastic husband!!! but the "worse" part (i think it's worse?) is that he looooooves "healthy, full-figured women"!!! so he loves all of my curves and thinks i'm beautiful!! he admires me all the time...dressed, undressed, in a t-shirt, bathing suit or ball gown, he thinks i'm beautiful!!! BUT he knows how much i am unhappy w/my weight, so he is very supportive of me choosing the lapband.:frown:
J_BandRanger

J_BandRanger

2
LoseIt!'s Blog
 

I'm back!

I missed you all while I was on vacation! I had a wonderful time.   We left at lunchtime on Thursday. The drive to my friend's small town Louisiana home is about 6 hours, so we made it in time for dinner. Her brother and his family met us at her parents' house and we all had some EXCELLENT smothered chicken. I was a little concerned about the rice since I have had some trouble with it, but with the Cajun gravy, it all went down fine.   Friday we went to New Orleans. I couldn't resist cafe au lait and beignets at Cafe du Monde, but I limited myself to one. I still don't understand why I can't eat bread, but the fried doughs, cakes and such all go down fine. Ha! We spent some time walking around the French Quarter. I was looking to buy a painting, but I didn't find anything that particularly caught my attention. We went to lunch at 1179 which is an Italian restaurant closer to the WWII museum. It was on the expensive side for lunch, but it was very good. After lunch we went to the WWII museum and I have to say that it exceeded every expectation. The movie is a MUST SEE. If you are ever in NOLA, you should visit and if you are a hard core war buff, you should make the trip. We left around 5 and made it back home in time for my friend's dad's Cajun Shrimp Stew. Oh my God. It was unbelievably delicious. If I haven't mentioned it yet, my friend's dad is an incredible Cajun cook. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to eat his food, but I could...just in moderation like a "normal" person.   Saturday we spent with my friend's brother's family. He has two little girls that are both adorable and exhausting! We went to a 4th of July celebration and watched fireworks. On Sunday, my friend's extended family gathered at her parents' house for a potluck lunch. Heavenly!! Her dad BBQ'd Boston butt (hee, I'm 12) and there was macaroni and cheese, eggplant/rice dressing, carrot casserole (which tasted like the best sweet potato casserole ever!) and baked beans. I had a little of everything and I was satisfied with one trip. I did have a couple pieces of PB fudge for dessert. :frown:   Monday was our annual casino trip. I was down almost $100 bucks in 3 hours!! Yikes!!! But I made an incredible comeback in the last 45 minutes and made it out only down $40. Whew!   We came back to town yesterday. We are working today and tomorrow, then leaving for Wichita Friday. We are going to see the Mens USA Volleyball team compete in World Cup pool play. We are big fans!   I'm happy to say that while I was on vacation, with NO exercise whatsoever, I'm down almost a pound. Woo hoo! I plan to jog during lunch today and go to Jazzercise tomorrow night. That's about all I'm going to get this week. But I figured it will at least keep me a little more prepared when I get back to normal next week.   A fun NSV: neither my friend nor I usually fit into "normal" size bracelets. They are usually too big for her and too small for me. She got one from her aunt for Christmas and she gave it to me because it was too big for her. It didn't fit me, but I held on to it. I'm wearing it today. YAY!!
LoseIt!

LoseIt!

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Blog 95493
 

Another step forward!

I love meeting with Laura, my dietician. The meeting this morning went great. I am 2 weeks post-op tomorrow and I was concerned about (1) hunger that has come on recently, and (2) the amount of calories, proteins, and carbs I'm eating.   For the program I'm in, hunger at 2 weeks means that I healed properly. She said it means "I did everything right." :frown: Made me feel so good - I have totally committed to this and some days have been hard but I'm winning the battle day by day!   I can start doing some band work and it's ok to do the walking in our neighborhood that I so love. Just no abs! I've gone for years not WANTING to do abs and now someone is telling me not to. I'm sure we'll get to those soon enough --- no doubt they will need some attention.   I chatted with her about how my mix has changed since surgery. On pre-op I was having 75% protein and hitting about 900 calories a day. Since going on pureed I'm averaging 600 or so a day with about 40-50% protein. More good news - for me, that's right where they want me to be.   I see her in 8 weeks. I laughed and once again reminded her to 'take a look at me now!' because there's nowhere to go but DOWN and next time she sees me I will be SMALLER. She always laughs but I haven't let her (or myself) down yet!   I go back in 2 weeks. With as much hunger as I have, I'm guessing I will get a fill. I'm making the transition to eating pureeds only 3 times a day. That's going to be tough. But I get to go from 2 oz. to 3 oz. Just had my first 3 oz of chili and it was filling. That's a very positive sign. I'll be doing Carnation Instant Breakfast mix in between if I'm hungry. Goal is to get 2-3 of those down per day in addition to the (3) 3 oz servings of pureeds.   Upcoming goals: 25% of weight gone by this Friday. I'm 1 lb. away. Under 200# by next visit with Laura in 8 weeks. That's 19#s I'll need to lose.   Hope everyone out there is doing great no matter what phase of the process you are going through. Make it a great day!!
Drake alp

Drake alp

2

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