dee257

"When you feel like giving up, remember why you held on for so long in the first place."
~ Unknown

This morning I got up and I stood in front of the scale, as I always do....looking down as I stepped onto it, (I believe I stop breathing each time as I wait for the numbers to appear) it said 219!!! I have waited to hit the point where I was in the "teens"!!! I thought there would be a happy dance, but instead I was in awe! I don't think I have come to yet! This is a big step in my journey for my mental part of this. I realize I can do this! What a great feeling!
One number less and in overdrive with confidence! Hip Hip Hooray!

Wow! Woke up this morning with so much energy. Had my post op appt yesterday and to date have lost 18 pounds. I feel fabulous!
My first fill (under fluoro) is scheduled for the 22nd and am kind of looking forward to it. I've had absolutely no issues and am so pleased with my decision to do this. My clothes are fitting better and I actually see a little difference. I'm just so excited!
My Dr. said I should lose another 20 pounds by the end of summer which is pretty slow, but I'm okay with that. In my head, as he said that, I'm thinking....omg when I lose 20 more pounds I will weight what I did in college....holy cow!!!!!!!

One of the most humbling things, I think, that one can experience is for someone to tell you that you've inspired them to do or be something. Wow! What an impact.
 
Having struggled with my weight most of my life, I never really thought about the possibility of being an inspiration to anyone in the area of being healthy.
 
Sure, I try to inspire my son to be a child of God, to work, and go after things the focus on the talents God gave Him. I try to inspire my husband to see the positive side of life and encourage him that he is a good father and husband. I've tried to inspire people in faith and that God is an awesome God.
 
But that's not really happened much in the health arena. Until now.
 
Since I've been posting about my procedure, my success AND my failures on facebook and in my blog at www.chrissyluther.wordpress.com, I've had two people say that to me and have wanted to know more about the surgery, my doctor, the band itself, the diet, the food, excercise...everything. I feel so blessed that God would give me this opportunity to share what I'm experiencing and learning as I go. I understand what these particular people are going through...I've been there. Its not fun. Its not easy. People look at you weird and judge you without ever knowing you...and most times don't take the time to get to know you.
 
I think that's one reason God give us trials to go through. So that from that experience, we can learn, move forward and then on to helping someone else who is going through the same thing; letting His love for that person flow through us, into them.
 
I want to encourage you today, that if you've not made that step to get healthy...branch out and take it now. It doesn't have to be LAP-band. It doesn't have to be surgery at all. It might not even be about losing weight. But trust that God has a solution in mind for you, and He will show if you ask Him to and listen for Him to do so.
 
I'm praying for you.
 
Blessings,
ChrissyLu

i get it i do we all need to make better choices when it comes to food ..however if i bought fat-free,sugar-free tasteless foods i would not have needed this surgery to begin with about 9yrs ago i lost 85lbs on my own,got pregnant,had my thyroid removed and wham its back, i joined a gym back in may and have lost very little weight...guess what i like food so as far as a diet they dont work for me will i make better food choices for the most part yes i will .. will i always make the right or best choice prob not but because of the band i will stop at one slice of pizza and not eat 4 or 5,and as far as a diet not for me...so i dont understand when some people say diet,low fat, sugar free yap.yap,yap !!!! thanks for letting me get this off my chest ....

So I weighed in yesterday and lost 0.9 lbs. This led to the immediate recognition of the fact that at the moment, I have a split personality. I call them Logical Me and Emotional Me.
 
Logical Me tells me that any weight loss is good weight loss. I'm currently in "Bandster Hell," that period of time between my surgery and my first fill when my appetite has returned, but the band is not yet offering me any restriction. Logical Me points out that a lot of people stop losing weight now entirely and many even gain some weight. She also wants me to remember that the slower the weight loss, the better my skin will be able to adjust and the less loose skin I may have when I reach my goal. And finally, Logical Me would like to point out that I've spent at least ten years getting to this weight from my last lowest point, so it's dumb of me to expect that I'll lose it in a couple of months.
 
Emotional me is too busy wailing and gnashing her teeth to tell me anything. Somewhere buried in her incoherent sobs, I am able to make out a few thoughts, though, like how can I not lose more weight when I've been eating no more than 1000 calories per day? Or, OMG am I going to fail this attempt at weight loss just like I have all the other ones after I've spent all this money on having surgery? Maybe the band won't help me. Maybe I'm just destined to be fat my whole life, and I'll just keep gaining weight even if I stop eating all together for the rest of my life. Maybe this was all a wasted effort and I should just go crawl under a rock and forget about ever being healthy and happy with myself.
 
I'd like to slap Emotional Me across the face and tell her to shut her w&!@# mouth. I know those thoughts are ridiculous, but that doesn't mean I can completely erase them from the back of my mind. All I can do is turn up the volume on Logical Me, keep reading the forums, and keep poking along at whatever pace my body deems appropriate. After all, when it comes down to it, I didn't get this surgery just to drop weight; I got it to help me make a huge and permanent lifestyle change that will result in gradual and permanent weight loss.
 
Maybe if I got that tattooed on the back of my hand, it would be easier to remember...

My Pre-op went great!!! I met my surgeon, Dr. Reilly and he is wonderful! He made me feel at ease and answered all of my questions! His scale actually had me weighing 6 pounds less than my home scale. I bought a new one after that and surprise that one had me six pounds less also! But I registered with the hospital and they were awesome also! I am fourth in line and have to be at the hospital at 8:30am and she said if all went well I could go home by 3pm. I also met the bariatric coordinator and she was awesome also. She gave me so much information. I have two packets of pre-surgery info to read tonight.
Wow it is getting so close and feels real now. I am ready to get the surgery part over so I can start my new way of life.

Hello to all
I hope to use this blog as a way to journal my way through the lapband experience not only to give insight to those considering it but for myself as a reminder of what was and what will be.
 
As a RN I know full well the risks of being obese but it's much like the respiratory therapist who smokes, what we know and what we do sometimes conflict! I've been overweight for as long as I can remember. My mother says the Dr. had me on a diet at 2. My earliest memory of diet was as a sophomore in high school. I've tried slimfast, dexatrim, calorie counts, and weight watchers all without serious weight loss. At 54 I am at my heaviest weight ever, 235 I never imagined I would be this heavy, how does this happen, how could I let myself get this heavy? It's a lifetime of poor habits obviously and genetics play some role. I swear I have the metabolism of a slug.
 
We (my fiance and I) went to a seminar on Jan. 28th and had done a lot of research before hand. The staff at the seminar were great and answered everyone's questions without hesitation. From the moment we met Dr. Fox I knew he was the surgeon I wanted. I scheduled my consult a few days before the seminar, I knew this was the surgery I wanted, needed, to help me lose the weight and be healthier. I had my blood work, pulmonary function test, and my EKG the Thursday following the seminar.
Yesterday, Feb 6th I had an EGD to see if I had a Hiatal Hernia. My INS. has a total ban on any bariatric surgery but will pay for hernia repair. No surprise, I have one , should I be happy. The good thing is that while fixing the hernia I get the lapband. Even if I hadn't had the EGD, Dr. Fox would have fixed the hernia during banding. So now I save 5k because the INS. pays for the hernia.
 
The only step left is to meet one on one with Dr. Fox for physical, and instructions on pre-op diet. He uses phase one of the South Beach diet preoperatively. My surgery is scheduled for March 2nd so I have a few weeks. The biggest thing I will have to give up is Diet Coke and carbs. I, like most overweight people am a carbaholic. I could eat pasta 7 nights week. I have tried to taper off the diet coke slowly but am not ready to say no more just yet. I have a few favorite foods I must eat before the pre-op diet begins simply because they will be off limits afterwards.
 
As the surgery gets closer I get more excited about what's to come. One day at a time, one pound at a time is my new motto.
 
D