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Since I work about 12+ hours a day, I am always grateful for assistance with the housework. I was quite thrilled the other day to come home to find out that my mother completed two loads of wash for me. However, it quickly turned to dread when I discovered that my black dress pants that I wear to work were put into the dryer. Now, let me fill you in a little bit about my dress pants. We usually have a battle in the morning with zipping them up. I lay on the bed, wiggle around, and feel the pain throb on my finger as I try to get that zipper up. I would NEVER put them in the dryer as the heat from the dryer is not my friend! So I had to break down and wiggle my butt into Spanx and thought I had won the battle with my pants. Well...sort of... It was still a challenge. This is what I usually deal with and what I have been dealing with for quite some time. I was banded on March 4, took 2 weeks off from work, and during the first week back at work, I avoided my black pants since I was still sore in my stomach area. So here it is...Friday, March 30, and I have run out of options for clothing. There in my closet, looking ever so quiet (and a bit afraid of the battle that may ensue) are my black pants. Ugh! I am going to hate this beginning to a Friday morning I thought to myself. Well, here it goes. I decided not to go with the Spanx as sometimes it is not all that comfortable for sitting too long and I knew I had a meeting to attend that day. Obviously, I had been weighing myself since March 4 and thought, hmmmm... let's see if 20 pounds has made a difference in my world. (I have 130 more to lose...not real sure if 20 really made difference yet.) I put both legs in those pants, pulled them up, and got ready for the wrestling match on the bed. Much to my surprise, they zipped. I don't mean just zipped up....I mean they zipped without a 10 minute worm dance on my bed! I was thrilled! Beyond thrilled! These pants haven't seen a dryer for quite sometime so I just know it was thrilled too! No one at work has noticed the weight loss and I really don't expect anyone to notice until I buy new clothes and lose around 40 lbs. But my pants and I knew better that particular day. We were winning together! As I shut off the light in my bedroom, I thought I heard a small voice say, "I'm next" from the pair of pants (Size 16) that I wore several years ago when I lost 70 lbs. Yes...my friend...you are next! Just stay in that drawer a little bit longer. I am working on getting you out and about as soon as I can...and I promise we won't have a battle!

Looked back over my blogs and I realized I blogged about the day we went to the Third Day Concert (almost a year ago) and the shirt I wanted to wear didn't fit. Fast forward to today and I am wearing that shirt..the one that didn't fit!!! Hopefully the picture will attach. The pic on the left was last year and it's a picture of the Concert picture...but you get the idea. The one on the right is today. Not a before and after, but definitely a before and during!!

Today was my 3 week post op appointment. I am doing incredibily well, all incisions are healing nicely, no side effects, no problems. I can drink all the liquid I need to, and am getting all my protein. I have been cleared to slowly and carefully start adding in other foods. And best of all I have lost 19 lbs since surgery and 43 total since I started the pre-op diet. 43!!! That is only 7 lbs less than I lost the entire 2 years I had the lap band. For anyone who is trying to decide between the lap band and the sleeve, or anyone considering converting from the lap band to the sleeve. I cannot say strongly enough...Go For The Sleeve!!! The difference is night and day. With the band I could eat very little, but I was always hungry (still had my whole stomach) with the sleeve, I can eat very little and I can honestly say I am full. For example at lunch today I had 4 oz of cottage cheese and 2 oz of imitation crab, and I couldn't finish it. Not only oould I physically not finish it, but I was honestly full! Whoot Whoot!!! Before the sleeve, I told my husband I never felt full until I was stuffed (which might explain my obesity I am so glad I did this!!! My husband says I'm melting before his eyes! Heaviest Weight: 281 3/6/13 Surgery: 257 (-24) 3/13/13: 251 (-6) 3/20/13: 245 (-6) 3/28/13: 238 (-7)

It has been a while since I have written on my blog. Life is happening and I just haven't been able to sit down and put thoughts on the computer lately. So currently I am 2 1/2 months since surgery. Since my surgery date on January 11th 2013 I have lost 34 lbs. I had my second fill a week ago. So here is the tricky part. I do not feel I am doing enough or losing enough. However, I KNOW I am doing good. I have this inner conflict going on second guessing myself and longing for the day when I can look at my weight loss ticker and it does not say 121 lbs left to go! Now I am going to the gym, eating less and better than I ever have in my life and doing all the things my doctor is telling me to do. We even bought a grill so we could make sure we grill almost every single night. My husband has also started to lose weight. This is great! Why then is the girl in my head still telling me I am fat and gross? I drive my husband nuts. I ask him do you think i just ate too much? He looks at me like I grew a second head. For the first month he was convinced I was going to starve to death. When I saw my physician last week they were super excited I had lost 10lbs since my post op visit. All I could think was I could have lost more if I hadn't busted my ankle up. So I am wondering when this odd head game I am playing with myself will end and if anyone else has gone through this. When do you start seeing the healthier you? I know she is already here but I do not see her when I look in the mirror. I am extremely blessed. Aside from some annoying hair loss, I have not had any bad side effects at all. Except from a bit of a pull around my port area if I overdue the exercising I have no discomfort or pain. I breezed through bandster hell. I think it only lasted about 4 days for me before it was time for my first fill. I do get slightly hungry but i can manage this by scheduling my small meals. So the doctor and my nutritionist say to stop worrying about it. Slow and steady. There is a reason I picked this surgery and not one where I would drop 40lbs a month. I wanted it to be slower. I understood this and I need to stop obsessing about it. So when does what I know catch up to how I feel? I still extremely happy I have the band. I would not change it at all. I just wonder how do I change the way we are taught as heavy people to think about ourselves? I think I will make this my goal for the next month and the weight loss can be a side bonus.

My husband, Pat, and I have several friends who have had great success with the Gastric Sleeve surgery, so in December 2012, we both decided to go to the doctor to see if we qualify for our insurance to cover the procedure. Luckily, after several tests, we were approved. I had diabetes, high cholesterol and sleep apnea. My husband had high cholesterol, sleep apnea and heart disease runs in his family. We also both has joint issues so we were approved at the end of January 2013. We had our psychological evaluation, sleep study (where we found out about the sleep apnea), then we were on our way. Today, March 25, 2013, I am 6 days post op (March 19). We have a great surgeon, Dr. Nick Nicholson, in Dallas. I threw up for 3 days so my stomach is more sore than what it would normally be I believe. I've got the routine down now. I came back to work today and I'm really tired ... Tried to get in the 42 grams of protein in the first couple of hours to give me some energy. I go for my one week checkup today. My husband went in today for his pre-op testing. His surgery is scheduled for April 9. So, here are a few things you should know ... know going into the surgery that you will come out of the surgery weighing more than what you went in weighing. I had to lose 11 lbs. pre-surgery. I had lost 11.5. I had the surgery on Tuesday and discharged on Wednesday. I left the hospital weighing 11 lbs. more than when I went in so, basically, I lost nothing. Here it is not even one week later and I am down 17 lbs. I left the hospital not taking any diabetes, high cholesterol medicine (not that I took it anyway, LOL!) Helpful hints. When they say walk, then do it. The more you walk, the less sore you feel. 3/26/13 - I weighed this morning and even after gaining so much back right after surgery, I am down 19.5 lbs. (including the 2 week pre-diet. Woo hoo! My stomach is so much better today. Yesterday I went back to work and thought I was going to die. I had no energy at ALL. I left after 8 hours and went home and iced my stomach for about 2 hours. OMG, why didn't someone tell me I could this? It made all the difference in the world. Tomorrow I get to start cream based soups. I bought 2 strainers (1 to carry in my purse). I will thin out my cream of chicken, cream of mushroom, cream of potato and tomato soups. Beef broth is terrible. Another helpful hint: Get up in the morning and first thing take your chewable vitamin and Pepsid AC. I then have an empty water bottle and pour in my bullet of liquid whey protein (grapes my favorite so far) and add a little water so it isn't so thick. If your physician didn't give you the little 1 oz. shot glasses, go get you some. I put out 4 and fill them each and drink those 4 per hour. In no time at all I have 42 grams of protein finished. I then start water, doing the same thing, then my SlimFast (but I've changed to Walmart brand because it's cheaper). I ordered six 4 oz. ramekins. When I can actually eat food in 2 weeks, I'm going to make up little meals so I don't overeat (and I can determine in my mind how much is enough). I'm going to do layers like mashed potatoes, then meat loaf (90/10) and brown gravy. Another one might be lean turkey (90/10) with spaghetti sauce and put either ricotta or cottage cheese on top, then pop in microwave when ready to eat. I'm 3 weeks ahead of my husband so I know all my helpful hints will work for him. Thanks for listening Week 2, day 1 (8 days post-op) March 27, 2013 - went to my 1 week visit - yep down 19.5 lbs. now I had lost 11 pre-surgery diet but gained all of that back after surgery - so I seriously did lost 19.5 lbs in one week - woo hoo! Found out some new things - I was using the bullet liquid whey protein and they were good mixing them with water and it was supposed to give me 42 gms of protein - WELL, didn't know it has collagen in it so you only get about 50% of the protein She had me change to a protein shake that's pretty good. It's called Premier Protein. In 11 oz. you get 30 true gms of protein and it's low in sugar. It's not as good as Slim Fast and a little more expensive BUT I can drink 2 of those and get 60 gms of protein a day I get to start eating any soup I want today (if it has chunks then I have to blend it) - this for 2 weeks. Then I get to start food like thin sliced deli meat, canned tuna or chicken, ground turkey, ground chicken or ground beef (sirloin) as long as its 90/10 lean, mashed potatoes, eggs (you know the softer stuff). Feeling pretty amazing! Going to Painting with a Twist tonight after work cannot wait - it's so much fun! And remember, I'm only one week and one day post-op 3/28/13 - Day 9 Post-Op Worked all day yesterday and went to a painting class for 2 hours - had a great time but was a little tired come 10 pm but I'm back and at it again today at work. I am feeling great. Still holding at 19 lbs. to 19.5 lbs. (fluctuates a little). Still swollen around my stomach area. Talked to dr.'s office and they said I could buy an abdomenal binder (going to see about that and see if the support makes it better, not that it's bad but instead of it bouncing around ... lol!) We have weekly family dinners so going to a hibachi grill tonight. I'll have their broth soup. Funny thing is, I never feel hungry but my stomach growls, which, in turn, tells my head - oh you're hungry, but it's a mind hunger thing - I don't feel hungry (does that make sense?) 4/1/13 - Day 13 Post-Op I cannot tell you how great I feel. I went and purchased an abdominal wrap and that has helped a lot. I wear it all day at work and then take if off when I get home. Just gives some support. I haven't had any additional weight loss - holding between 19 and 19.5 lbs. Yesterday was Easter and for the first time I purchased Easter (or any holiday) lunch. It not only cost me 1/2 of what I normally spend, I didn't have to do anything I blended some cream of potato soup (watered down a bit) and it was really good. So, I felt like I was getting my mashed potatoes at least

Well I made it through both weeks of liquids and got to move on to soft foods. But the added wrinkle to my week is that I am traveling from CA to CO for my sisters wedding. So I am not in my home environment. My sister was very helpful and had my protein drinks, yogurt and cottage cheese at her house when I got here so that has helped. So far I am doing fine with soft foods. However, I have discovered that I am sensitive to sugars. I have had two bouts of diahrrea, both of which came after I had a bit too much sugar. (One I had blended some peanut butter into a shake, and the second one was just eating a normal yogurt) So neither time was I over doing it, but I have decided that I am really watching the sugar content in anything I eat. It has been a challenge to be with my whole family, and not be eating. I haven't really had an issue with it, I'm not hungry and I just eat what I can. But I think other people get nervous if I don't eat. But so far, I've been doing good. My other challenge is to drink my water. We spent the past 2 days running around, setting up for the wedding, the wedding itself, and then running around cleaning up. I have been really really tired and I noticed that the creases in my skin are staying much longer than they should (like creases on my shin from tucking my jeans into my boots stayed there for over 8 hours)...so I'm a little dehydrated. But I'm going better today and just hauling my water bottle around with me. My weigh day was Wednesday and I did weigh just before I got on the plane. I did win the bet with my husband ...he thought I would lose close to 20# between surgery and our trip (2 weeks) I didn't think I'd lose that quick. I was right, but I still feel good about what I have lost. Heaviest Weight: 281 3/6/13 Surgery: 257 (-24) 3/13/13: 251 (-6) 3/20/13: 245 (-6) I will be flying home on Wednesday so I'll have to weigh on Thursday after I'm back at home with my own scale!!