adargie

Well it has been three months since my last blog (6 months from surgery) and I'm happy to say I've lost another 30 lbs for a total of 90 lbs lost!! Current weight- 274. Whoo-hoo!! I think this is the first time ever that I've lost weight during the holidays. I've been averaging a loss of 10 lbs a month. Very happy with that. I've been getting very small fills. In fact I've only got 3 cc's in my 10 cc band. I still don't have alot of restriction but I count my calories, exercise and follow the rules. We've had a very cold winter so instead of doing my walking outside I've been doing low impact cardio workouts. My two favorite being Shapely Girl and the Biggest Loser Power Walk. I'm looking forward to warm weather and today I signed up for the Blue and You fitness challenge. This is something I did last year and it's basically just making a commitment to exercise 3 days a week for at least 30 minutes. Now what I'm really excited about is that I signed up for my first 5K!! It is May 3rd and I have the option to walk but I would love to run as much as possible. I know I can easily walk 3 miles but I haven't even attempted to run. I have wanted to try running but I don't want anyone seeing me. I know this is something I need to get over but when I go to the walking trails the only people I see running are already really fit and skinny. Ugh!! Well time to get over it because starting this week (wait it's snowing) ok next week I'm going to start training for this 5K.
 
So besides all that my band seems to being doing well. I have had some pain in my left shoulder for about 3 months now. At first I thought I had injured it but then I realized that the way the pain would come and go, hurt when I would bend over for any length of time (cleaning) and when first laying down in bed that it seemed to be a nerve issue. I did some research and found that it is not uncommon for bandsters to have this pain. It is caused by a nerve- phrenic nerve- that runs through the diaphragm. It hurts everyday but luckily not ALL day so I can handle that. Other than that I haven't had any problems really. There is nothing I have found that I can't eat (but alot I choose not to!!)
 
Oh yeah, I had a pretty sweet NSV this morning. I was chatting with a co-worker this morning and looked down and realized that I had my legs crossed. Wow! It's been a long time since I could do that.

This is really a repost of something I said yesterday but thought it was worth a blog entry
 
Watching my 600lb Life on TLC can be inspirational, aggravating and downright annoying. Many times I want to reach through the TV and slap patients but more importantly the non-supporting people in their lives. I will admit I have only seen a handful of episodes.
 
One thing I can tell you from being a 5'6 488 pound morbidly obese person is it was just a struggle to wipe my butt and it was to a point where I showered after to make sure I was clean and the shower alone was a task because of the aches and pains in my muscles and joints. Walking from my car to my office even with the use of an elevator took a lot out of me. I would last 10 minutes walking the grocery store with my wife and would end up going out to the car and wait for her to finish because I was out of breath and legs ached so bad.
 
I don’t recall eating food and gaining weight simply because I was lazy or didn’t care about myself. I didn’t eat with the intent of becoming morbidly obese to a point where I couldn’t do those simplest of daily life tasks. I have a serious junk food addiction and I loved it. I ate from the moment I wake up to the moment I went to bed.
 
I am not making excuses for myself or anyone else but keep in mind you’re watching an edited reality t.v. show. Do we really know what is going in these people’s lives? They edit the crap out of these things to create the draw and because everyone loves a train wreck and more often than not they will put those things front and center.
 
One thing I am certain about is I will always remain humble and will make sure I never become like the people who used to judge me. I was a terrible mess physically and eventually mentally and I am lucky to be where I am today. I absolutely refuse to forget my 488lb self. Sometimes I wonder why me? Why was I successful? Just because someone doesn’t care about themselves doesn’t mean they don’t WANT to care about themselves.
 
Hope is a very powerful emotion and it can make or break you

Entering week 5 of the 5:2 plan and my focus to move down. I've started feeling like a failure, having had the surgery almost two years ago and still I weigh 255 pounds. If I had it to do over again I would have kept going once I hit that first 3 month stall. I would not have settled for size 18.. now a comfy size 16 dress. I'm still satisfied with not having gained any weight. But now I am focused to keep going down. 255 pounds is not a healthy weight for my age.. heck for any age . So the focus is back on. Having had the surgery I have better eating habits (except for the night time grazing when I'm not fasting). I still eat smaller portions. I still keep carbs low. It's the head and mind battles. Well facing another day.. its Thursday and I fast today. I'm focused

Haven't posted in a while mostly because well nothing too exciting happening. Staying the course with my diet. I am still doing a morning shake everyday. I use a scoop of unflavored unjury, skim milk and ice and a couple packets of truvia then add coffee, its been something I actually look forward to. I still have yet to find any food that does not agree with me. (not always a good thing) I find that bread and potatoes fill me up to the point of being uncomfortable so I just stay away, but things like chips and crackers do go down easy so I am not letting those come into the house. I am having fun with cooking, using the recipes I find on theworldaccordingtoeggface blog. I made some lettuce wraps that turned out great the other day. My husband even liked them. We grilled steak this weekend and it was amazing! I only have to buy one steak now and we split it. My exercise is still low key, I walk 3-5 times a week with a coworker, I need to turn it up a bit and get weights in but the weather has been so nice I want to enjoy it to the bitter end! I have all winter to be inside in the gym. As of today I am down 30 pounds and I am 8 weeks out. My closet is starting to not yield much to wear. I have this gap of clothing the "too big" stuff is being thrown into a pile for friends and goodwill, and the "I will get there" clothes are still out of reach and there's not much in-between. I am down to one or 2 pairs of jeans that I can fit. I never realized how long I went wearing clothes that were too tight simply because I couldn't wrap my head around buying the next size up! I may do a big overhaul on the closet this weekend. in 2 weeks I go on a girls trip and we will be hitting some outlet malls, I won't go crazy buying stuff but need to get a few things., I like how shirts are fitting me now. I am top heavy and have lost almost 2 cup sizes, the girls are a bit lower but still look nice in a bra! LOL, I managed to find 2 old bras that I had stashed because they were too small so that has saved the pocket book. My progress remains at 1-2 pounds a week. Sometimes with an extra bonus pound in there somewhere. So I am not the fast loser I hoped I was going to be but this is the fastest I have ever lost weight in my life and kept it off! And for once there's no end in sight, no rebound with binges because I can't handle being no carb or so super food restrictive that I just crash into a bag of McDonalds like a raving lunatic! I look at food for nutrition but I also allow for what I am craving. Partly because its such a small amount. I can usually curb a craving with a sugarfree popsicle, or a couple crackers with peanut butter. I have stayed away from all the cider doughnuts that keep making their way into my office. I did have a minisnickers but kept it to just that one! Which was a feat in itself. I am keeping with the mantra of protein first, and have not had a problem sticking to it. It doesn't really require much thought anymore. I know I am still in the "honeymoon" phase, I have no real hunger just a weird feeling when I go too long between meals. I love the little blue diamond 100 calorie almond packets. I usually have one between my morning shake and lunch, I also have been making mini rollups for a quick protein snack. I take a mini dill pickle, half of a slice of deli ham and a teaspoon of low fat cream cheese, roll it up and its a perfect quick grab snack. This is becoming quite long winded(and I can't separate paragraphs for some reason) I feel good about my future feeling optimistic. So on that note I will end this

Haven't posted in a while mostly because well nothing too exciting happening. Staying the course with my diet. I am still doing a morning shake everyday. I use a scoop of unflavored unjury, skim milk and ice and a couple packets of truvia then add coffee, its been something I actually look forward to. I still have yet to find any food that does not agree with me. (not always a good thing) I find that bread and potatoes fill me up to the point of being uncomfortable so I just stay away, but things like chips and crackers do go down easy so I am not letting those come into the house. I am having fun with cooking, using the recipes I find on theworldaccordingtoeggface blog. I made some lettuce wraps that turned out great the other day. My husband even liked them. We grilled steak this weekend and it was amazing! I only have to buy one steak now and we split it. My exercise is still low key, I walk 3-5 times a week with a coworker, I need to turn it up a bit and get weights in but the weather has been so nice I want to enjoy it to the bitter end! I have all winter to be inside in the gym. As of today I am down 30 pounds and I am 8 weeks out. My closet is starting to not yield much to wear. I have this gap of clothing the "too big" stuff is being thrown into a pile for friends and goodwill, and the "I will get there" clothes are still out of reach and there's not much in-between. I am down to one or 2 pairs of jeans that I can fit. I never realized how long I went wearing clothes that were too tight simply because I couldn't wrap my head around buying the next size up! I may do a big overhaul on the closet this weekend. in 2 weeks I go on a girls trip and we will be hitting some outlet malls, I won't go crazy buying stuff but need to get a few things., I like how shirts are fitting me now. I am top heavy and have lost almost 2 cup sizes, the girls are a bit lower but still look nice in a bra! LOL, I managed to find 2 old bras that I had stashed because they were too small so that has saved the pocket book. My progress remains at 1-2 pounds a week. Sometimes with an extra bonus pound in there somewhere. So I am not the fast loser I hoped I was going to be but this is the fastest I have ever lost weight in my life and kept it off! And for once there's no end in sight, no rebound with binges because I can't handle being no carb or so super food restrictive that I just crash into a bag of McDonalds like a raving lunatic! I look at food for nutrition but I also allow for what I am craving. Partly because its such a small amount. I can usually curb a craving with a sugarfree popsicle, or a couple crackers with peanut butter. I have stayed away from all the cider doughnuts that keep making their way into my office. I did have a minisnickers but kept it to just that one! Which was a feat in itself. I am keeping with the mantra of protein first, and have not had a problem sticking to it. It doesn't really require much thought anymore. I know I am still in the "honeymoon" phase, I have no real hunger just a weird feeling when I go too long between meals. I love the little blue diamond 100 calorie almond packets. I usually have one between my morning shake and lunch, I also have been making mini rollups for a quick protein snack. I take a mini dill pickle, half of a slice of deli ham and a teaspoon of low fat cream cheese, roll it up and its a perfect quick grab snack. This is becoming quite long winded(and I can't separate paragraphs for some reason) I feel good about my future feeling optimistic. So on that note I will end this

Haven't posted in a while mostly because well nothing too exciting happening. Staying the course with my diet. I am still doing a morning shake everyday. I use a scoop of unflavored unjury, skim milk and ice and a couple packets of truvia then add coffee, its been something I actually look forward to. I still have yet to find any food that does not agree with me. (not always a good thing) I find that bread and potatoes fill me up to the point of being uncomfortable so I just stay away, but things like chips and crackers do go down easy so I am not letting those come into the house. I am having fun with cooking, using the recipes I find on theworldaccordingtoeggface blog. I made some lettuce wraps that turned out great the other day. My husband even liked them. We grilled steak this weekend and it was amazing! I only have to buy one steak now and we split it. My exercise is still low key, I walk 3-5 times a week with a coworker, I need to turn it up a bit and get weights in but the weather has been so nice I want to enjoy it to the bitter end! I have all winter to be inside in the gym. As of today I am down 30 pounds and I am 8 weeks out. My closet is starting to not yield much to wear. I have this gap of clothing the "too big" stuff is being thrown into a pile for friends and goodwill, and the "I will get there" clothes are still out of reach and there's not much in-between. I am down to one or 2 pairs of jeans that I can fit. I never realized how long I went wearing clothes that were too tight simply because I couldn't wrap my head around buying the next size up! I may do a big overhaul on the closet this weekend. in 2 weeks I go on a girls trip and we will be hitting some outlet malls, I won't go crazy buying stuff but need to get a few things., I like how shirts are fitting me now. I am top heavy and have lost almost 2 cup sizes, the girls are a bit lower but still look nice in a bra! LOL, I managed to find 2 old bras that I had stashed because they were too small so that has saved the pocket book. My progress remains at 1-2 pounds a week. Sometimes with an extra bonus pound in there somewhere. So I am not the fast loser I hoped I was going to be but this is the fastest I have ever lost weight in my life and kept it off! And for once there's no end in sight, no rebound with binges because I can't handle being no carb or so super food restrictive that I just crash into a bag of McDonalds like a raving lunatic! I look at food for nutrition but I also allow for what I am craving. Partly because its such a small amount. I can usually curb a craving with a sugarfree popsicle, or a couple crackers with peanut butter. I have stayed away from all the cider doughnuts that keep making their way into my office. I did have a minisnickers but kept it to just that one! Which was a feat in itself. I am keeping with the mantra of protein first, and have not had a problem sticking to it. It doesn't really require much thought anymore. I know I am still in the "honeymoon" phase, I have no real hunger just a weird feeling when I go too long between meals. I love the little blue diamond 100 calorie almond packets. I usually have one between my morning shake and lunch, I also have been making mini rollups for a quick protein snack. I take a mini dill pickle, half of a slice of deli ham and a teaspoon of low fat cream cheese, roll it up and its a perfect quick grab snack. This is becoming quite long winded(and I can't separate paragraphs for some reason) I feel good about my future feeling optimistic. So on that note I will end this

Haven't posted in a while mostly because well nothing too exciting happening. Staying the course with my diet. I am still doing a morning shake everyday. I use a scoop of unflavored unjury, skim milk and ice and a couple packets of truvia then add coffee, its been something I actually look forward to. I still have yet to find any food that does not agree with me. (not always a good thing) I find that bread and potatoes fill me up to the point of being uncomfortable so I just stay away, but things like chips and crackers do go down easy so I am not letting those come into the house. I am having fun with cooking, using the recipes I find on theworldaccordingtoeggface blog. I made some lettuce wraps that turned out great the other day. My husband even liked them. We grilled steak this weekend and it was amazing! I only have to buy one steak now and we split it. My exercise is still low key, I walk 3-5 times a week with a coworker, I need to turn it up a bit and get weights in but the weather has been so nice I want to enjoy it to the bitter end! I have all winter to be inside in the gym. As of today I am down 30 pounds and I am 8 weeks out. My closet is starting to not yield much to wear. I have this gap of clothing the "too big" stuff is being thrown into a pile for friends and goodwill, and the "I will get there" clothes are still out of reach and there's not much in-between. I am down to one or 2 pairs of jeans that I can fit. I never realized how long I went wearing clothes that were too tight simply because I couldn't wrap my head around buying the next size up! I may do a big overhaul on the closet this weekend. in 2 weeks I go on a girls trip and we will be hitting some outlet malls, I won't go crazy buying stuff but need to get a few things., I like how shirts are fitting me now. I am top heavy and have lost almost 2 cup sizes, the girls are a bit lower but still look nice in a bra! LOL, I managed to find 2 old bras that I had stashed because they were too small so that has saved the pocket book. My progress remains at 1-2 pounds a week. Sometimes with an extra bonus pound in there somewhere. So I am not the fast loser I hoped I was going to be but this is the fastest I have ever lost weight in my life and kept it off! And for once there's no end in sight, no rebound with binges because I can't handle being no carb or so super food restrictive that I just crash into a bag of McDonalds like a raving lunatic! I look at food for nutrition but I also allow for what I am craving. Partly because its such a small amount. I can usually curb a craving with a sugarfree popsicle, or a couple crackers with peanut butter. I have stayed away from all the cider doughnuts that keep making their way into my office. I did have a minisnickers but kept it to just that one! Which was a feat in itself. I am keeping with the mantra of protein first, and have not had a problem sticking to it. It doesn't really require much thought anymore. I know I am still in the "honeymoon" phase, I have no real hunger just a weird feeling when I go too long between meals. I love the little blue diamond 100 calorie almond packets. I usually have one between my morning shake and lunch, I also have been making mini rollups for a quick protein snack. I take a mini dill pickle, half of a slice of deli ham and a teaspoon of low fat cream cheese, roll it up and its a perfect quick grab snack. This is becoming quite long winded(and I can't separate paragraphs for some reason) I feel good about my future feeling optimistic. So on that note I will end this

Haven't posted in a while mostly because well nothing too exciting happening. Staying the course with my diet. I am still doing a morning shake everyday. I use a scoop of unflavored unjury, skim milk and ice and a couple packets of truvia then add coffee, its been something I actually look forward to. I still have yet to find any food that does not agree with me. (not always a good thing) I find that bread and potatoes fill me up to the point of being uncomfortable so I just stay away, but things like chips and crackers do go down easy so I am not letting those come into the house. I am having fun with cooking, using the recipes I find on theworldaccordingtoeggface blog. I made some lettuce wraps that turned out great the other day. My husband even liked them. We grilled steak this weekend and it was amazing! I only have to buy one steak now and we split it. My exercise is still low key, I walk 3-5 times a week with a coworker, I need to turn it up a bit and get weights in but the weather has been so nice I want to enjoy it to the bitter end! I have all winter to be inside in the gym. As of today I am down 30 pounds and I am 8 weeks out. My closet is starting to not yield much to wear. I have this gap of clothing the "too big" stuff is being thrown into a pile for friends and goodwill, and the "I will get there" clothes are still out of reach and there's not much in-between. I am down to one or 2 pairs of jeans that I can fit. I never realized how long I went wearing clothes that were too tight simply because I couldn't wrap my head around buying the next size up! I may do a big overhaul on the closet this weekend. in 2 weeks I go on a girls trip and we will be hitting some outlet malls, I won't go crazy buying stuff but need to get a few things., I like how shirts are fitting me now. I am top heavy and have lost almost 2 cup sizes, the girls are a bit lower but still look nice in a bra! LOL, I managed to find 2 old bras that I had stashed because they were too small so that has saved the pocket book. My progress remains at 1-2 pounds a week. Sometimes with an extra bonus pound in there somewhere. So I am not the fast loser I hoped I was going to be but this is the fastest I have ever lost weight in my life and kept it off! And for once there's no end in sight, no rebound with binges because I can't handle being no carb or so super food restrictive that I just crash into a bag of McDonalds like a raving lunatic! I look at food for nutrition but I also allow for what I am craving. Partly because its such a small amount. I can usually curb a craving with a sugarfree popsicle, or a couple crackers with peanut butter. I have stayed away from all the cider doughnuts that keep making their way into my office. I did have a minisnickers but kept it to just that one! Which was a feat in itself. I am keeping with the mantra of protein first, and have not had a problem sticking to it. It doesn't really require much thought anymore. I know I am still in the "honeymoon" phase, I have no real hunger just a weird feeling when I go too long between meals. I love the little blue diamond 100 calorie almond packets. I usually have one between my morning shake and lunch, I also have been making mini rollups for a quick protein snack. I take a mini dill pickle, half of a slice of deli ham and a teaspoon of low fat cream cheese, roll it up and its a perfect quick grab snack. This is becoming quite long winded(and I can't separate paragraphs for some reason) I feel good about my future feeling optimistic. So on that note I will end this

So today I met with my surgeon for the first time since surgery. (Surgery date 9/11/13) He was very pleased with everything including the 15 pounds that I have loss since 8/30/13 one month ago when I had my pre surgery appointment. I have been cleared to start back up my work out/exercise program. I have been doing the Lesile Sansone walking DVDs since February when I started my 6 month pre surgery wait. I swear by them and give them the credit for my 64 pound pre-surgery weight loss. Also cleared me to be romanic with my husband again! yippee! And also I leave pureed behind and start introducing more textrued foods. Today for dinner we grilled Maui Maui and I ate 1.7 ounces just by chewing and chewing and did I mention chewing. I had a tiny bit of heart burn, but over all nothing bad.
I feel great and overall am excited to begin a more normal routine.

I have it! I have my approval. God was looking out for me and knew I would have a hard time waiting to hear. I called Anthem BC today to verify that the paperwork was indeed submitted, and much to my surprise I was told it was submitted AND approved 9/25! It's a small miracle that I received same day approval because I would have been a basket case waiting! LOL She said I am approved for a 1 day stay from 10/21-10/22. My first question was " this is a two day thing, but only approved one day?" She said it is standard to just submit for one day, then they will add the additional day at the time. Then my wheels turned a little further and thought about the date. I asked her how that day was chosen and she said it was the date my surgeon applied for. So being the ever brilliant detective I am (I say laughing) I deduced that is my surgery date - 10/21. Apparently they have it as a tentative schedule when submitting for approval, but do not tell us until after they have the approval. So I am one up on my surgeon- I know my date! LOL I am a mixture of emotions, which I expected. What I am sort of surprised about is that I am strangely calm too. I am really so very thankful that this is happening. I would have been devastated to get anything but an approval. And the way it has all worked out....Well all I can say is a higher power certainly had to have a hand in it. The date is exactly as I hoped, four days after my birthday. So October will forever be my birthday, and my rebirth day!!! I should be feeling pretty good ( knock wood ) by my daughter's birthday on 11/3, and should be back to my (new) normal by the holidays. I also reap the benefit of having already met my cap out of pocket amount for the year through insurance ( thanks DVT and PE) so this should cost me next to nothing! I am truly, truly happy and thankful and excited. I realize there will be rough patches ahead and will deal with them as they come. But right now I am on cloud nine and will save this feeling for those times...

I put on the dress that I have on in my before picture...I asked my 7 yr old to take a picture of me today! Just 2 months out! He said, "mom, you don't like taking pictures!" So I told him to just take it! I was so surprised when I did the side by side photo, what did we ever do without these!!! Holy crap...I SAW the difference!
 
Is it possible to look at yourself everyday and NOT see the changes? In my case YES!!! I'm still working on my mind seeing me as a lighter version of myself...and sometimes I just don't see it...but today I did! And for the first time in a long time I like what I am seeing!
 
Happy Friday, and thanks for listening to my rant!!!!

I called my claims administrator today, I was starting to get panicky about the timeline, and someone offered me some solid advice and calmed me down until I could call.
 
I'm very concerned about being able to have my sleeve done before the end of the year. Effective January 1st, my insurance will change, and I will lose my bariatric surgery coverage. I started this process officially end of July, but had seen my PCP in June and July to try and see what could be done about my weight.
 
So, I called.
 
We rearranged my appointments a little bit to get about another week squeezed into my timeline. I'm up for team review the 25th of September, from there, I schedule my consultation with the surgeon. I'll have two more visits to meet insurance requirements, the last one is on November 1st. After my appointment I call this gal back and she submits everything to my insurance. She said it should take a week, but we'll have an answer by November 8th.
 
After that, it's just a matter of pre-op, and scheduling surgery. Could be all said and done as early as December 6th. SQUEE

Rule #1 - Cardio
 
Walking is not wonderful. The only part I do like is getting outside and attempting to beat my previous time. Yesterday, I walked an 18 min. mile. That may not sound like much, but when I first started my mile was around 30 mins. - if I could do a mile. So, I am trying to follow the program and get better, and faster but I can’t say that I love every minute of it.
 
Walking is boring. If I could get away with it, I wouldn’t walk. Maybe if I could figure out some way to bring my computer with me on a walk I’d have a different attitude. And while some people are very adroit at using smart phones for everything, I tend to crash into cars, trees, and big rocks if I don’t concentrate on where I’m going.
 
I always try to walk with a buddy. That way there’s someone to talk to and hold me accountable for showing up. And, it’s a safety thing as well. If we happen upon a bear or wolf on the trail, I don’t have to worry about out running the bear. I only have to out run my buddy!
 
I’ve thought about getting one of the new exercise office desks. So I can stay in the house and walk. Basically it’s a treadmill with a desktop mounted where the controls are normally placed. I could walk and surf at the same time. But if history is any predictor of the future, it will just become another thousand dollar clothes hanger.
 
Running - I think it is one of my bucket list items. It would be nice to be able to run again. I don’t think I’ve ran more than a few steps since high school. Even then, I really couldn’t run more than a quarter mile, but even that distance seems like a pipe dream at this point.
 
So, I will only be running if someone or something that wants to eat me (and not in a nice way!) is chasing. And, let’s be honest, the evil thing will more than likely get me. Just like in Zombie Land – “The 1st to go were the fatties.”
 
That reminds me … I need to check my bathroom and make sure there are no zombie clowns waiting in ambush.
 
Keep Pimpin That Sleeve!

At 3 months out I have lost 62 lbs:
Starting weight: 240
Current weight: 178
 
I still have quite a bit to go (as my height is 4' 11").
 
I'm so happy with this progress! I LOVE LOVE LOVE my sleeve.
I've learned and lived through quite a bit in the last couple months....
 
THE GOOD:
 
- Doing 175 squats will not kill you
- I can see my clavicles! (This was a very happy NSV for me)
- Eating at restaurants and parties is more manageable than I thought (just remember: protein first)
- While shopping one day, I looked down and realized I couldn't see my belly, just boobs
- I reached my surgeons first goal on 7/22/13, which gave me even more motivation to keep on track
- NSV: I can wrap a bath towel around me!
- I entered ONEDERLAND on 7/31/13
- This, to me, is by far the most exciting... My resting heart rate went from 120's- 130's down to the 70's!!!
 
THE BAD
 
- "Hunger" during your time of the month: oh wow, I feel like a monster! Lol. Just a tip: don't weigh yourself during your period, it'll just lead to frustration that isn't needed!!
- I've come to terms that negative people will be negative. No use in trying to please or understand these people.
 
THE UGLY
 
- CONSTIPATION... Def never had this as an issue before surgery. My norm before was a couple times a day. Now, a couple times a week. Um, ouch. But I recently starting taking Colace. Hopefully that'll help.
- Hair loss: Ok, I knew hair loss is a side effect, and it usually happens around month 3 or 4, BUT I wasn't really prepared for what it'd actually look like... Like a horror movie! It's quite disturbing to look have hand- fulls of hair while washing it or to look down in the shower and have a hair ball the size of a chinchilla near your drain! I'm lucky I have such thick (and long) hair to begin with, which is why I think it looks so disturbing.
 
WHAT I'M DOING:
 
Well, what I'm supposed to be doing. Protein first, lots of water, low carbs, and exercising. I'm not saying I'm perfect, but I find following this plan pretty simple. I don't feel deprived and I rarely feel hungry. It requires work, but the results are so worth the sacrifices.
Just working towards and hoping for continued success!!!

Stop go, stop go, stop stall stall, go, that is how my weight loss has been. I am completely happy with my results. But like others I've seen on here, I am as impatient as a child on Christmas morning! Today I stepped on the scale and saw a movement of 2 pounds in one day. Wow, that's crazy. So that will boost my efforts to exercise, I have begun walking with a friend from work, this way it gets done before I even get home. Only walked a mile yesterday, but I figure its better than sitting on the couch. I have felt great, have no complaints. No pain, no pukies but I do notice if I take that one bite too many or too fast it sits in my esophagus for a bit which is unpleasant. Looking forward to expanding my food horizons, but have to wait till my next appt on the 17th. My surgeon said after 6 weeks I am considered healed. I am noticing a difference in my shape. So far have kept my boobs but they seem to be migrating south, sigh. My legs have thinned and I can see muscle again. My problem area which is my tummy or spare tire will be the last to go, but has shrunk some. My goal will be able to go into a different size by oct 17th. I am going on a girls weekend with my mom, we rented a beautiful chalet on lake Michigan right near Michigan city. There are wonderful outlet malls there galore so hoping I can find some deals. Staying the course with my morning protein shake, and soft foods, the never ending liquids and so on.

Well...GOOD morning!!!! I took the advice I was given and ran with it! I am trying...trying...trying to up my calorie intake, that is very difficult, but I am managing!!! SOOOOOOOOOOOOO...as the title states, IT MOVED!!! The scale, it moved, it moved, it moved!!! And I got so excited, I told my hubs...he likes to joke around and he said, "well the scale does move when you get on!!" I just said, "HONEY!!" He laughed and I said my stall is gone for now, now that makes me HAPPY!!! It was stuck, on 208 forever! NOW...it reads 203.8!!! Yippee!!! I have to say, we are all on this journey and I am super thankful, daily, that I have the support that I have, and I will help be a support to anyone who needs it! This is for the rest of our lives and that is the really exciting part!!! We get to have energy, function without losing our breath, exercise and not still be jiggling even when we are done, live longer, have a healthy relationship with food, give our families the BEST of us...the list goes on and on! I'm just so excited to see and hear about everyone's progress, it just makes me smile!!!

I am shocked to learn my insurance approved the surgery. Now at 52 I am so excited to start my journey. Not sure of date yet. I just wanted to thank everybody for all the great information and confidence to do this.

I have lost 23 lbs since surgery!!! I am very happy with my progress so far. I was a little disappointed but then took a step back and realized how much weight that was in such a short time. For the first time in my life I want time to go by fast just for the next year. I am almost in the 250's and I am so happy. My first goal is 249 so I am just waiting for the day!!! I haven't seen that amount on the scale for years.
Exercise is going well started walking 5x's a week and strenght training 3 days a week. I love working out and I feel crappy when I don't. I really want a bicycle but I will wait till spring of 2014.
Food wise I am still on Meat, Cheese and Eggs only. I can introduce veggies back at 2 months. 1/2 cup per day. I am looking forward to that but they did warn me that the weigh loss will slow down due to the added carbs from the veggies. So I don't have to add them back every day or at all if I don't want too.
I am down into a size 1x shirt and I haven't checked on pants yet , i know they are getting very loose but not enough to fall off and have to go to a smaller size.
Tomorrow is weigh in day and I am so excited to see the 250's on my scale.

Holy crap! Has it been two weeks since August 22nd... Yup, it sure has!! It went by fast, at the time it didn't.. But now it feels like it did.. This past week I really feel like I've felt my best. I had a few "baby's day out" days.. Yesterday I ran some errands, didn't get exhausted or sore... I think I'm really to increase my walking. I weighed myself today... Surgery day weight was 256, and today I weighed 242. That's 14 lbs in two weeks?! I'll take that! Target skirt here I come! I should have taken measurements on surgery day, but I didn't. I'm going to do that today, to see how many inches I'm losing now, especially with the increase in exercise. I'm doing better with my intake. Yesterday I got super close to my 60/64.. Today we'll see how I do. I'm kicking myself because we got the bariatric advantage protein meal replacement shakes, and it's super gross!! High in protein, but waaayyy toooo sweet!! But I made one with some peanut butter and a little chocolate syrup and it was ok.. But ick.. After I finish the bag, I might go back to my EAS stuff. Hopefully by then I'll be on mushies atleast. I have one more week of just liquids, then move on to mushies.. The first thing I want is a scrambled egg with cheese!! Very first thing on my mushies list!! I am amazed at how bad I want real food. The process of chewing real food, I miss that! I am having problems with not chugging my drinks. Before I could down a half bottle of water only having to come up for air.. I can't do that now.. I was sooo thirsty at church on Sunday, I got an applejuice. I started just chugging it, I thought I was going to puke during worship! I had to sit down and just be like uuuggghhhhh.... Anyhoo... How are the other newly sleeved peeps doing? Or older sleeved? What's your story?

I was born a healthy baby on March 30, 1973. I weighed 8lbs, 11 oz and was about 21 inches long. In first grade, I weighed 70 lbs. In 5th grade, 120. By the time I was a junior in high school, I weighed 206 lbs. I was 5'4" tall. It's not a sedentary lifestyle that led me to be a heavy girl. Lord knows I was active...riding bikes, playing tag, being the only girl among a ton of boys took a lot of energy if you wanted to have something to do besides watch TV. I swam, I ran, I spent years in the marching band huffing and running and carrying instruments of various weights. Yeah, I was active. But I ate. I snuck food, I binged, I stole food from our pantry. Cookies and candy were my favorite. I would eat 3 or 4 pop tarts for breakfast, finding it odd that m friends only ate 1. I drank milk and soda. I would get ice cream from the ice cream man, hide to eat it then go inside to eat dinner. I remember drinking a 2 liter bottle of coke between my grandmother's house and mine. 5 doors down. I was 10. When I got into middle school, I realized I didn't dress the way my friends did. I dressed in the "women's department" becuause the Juniors department clothes didn't fit. I remember crying with my mom in the kitchen one night because kids laughed at me for using a diaper pin to hold the seam of my pants closed. I remember being teased for having breasts in 4th grade. When I joined the marching band in 9th grade, Mom took an old pair of her slacks and added the stripe for the uniform on each leg so I would look like the other kids. When I went to Europe in 1990, she altered my marching uniform by adding gussets in the torso & thighs so a mens' XL jumpsuit would fit. No one knew but me, but that was enough. None of that stopped me from eating. At that time, my afterschool snack, before band, orchestra, jazz band, choir or drama club practice was a bottle of orange soda & 2 king size packs of peanut butter cups. Fruits & veggies? a rarity in my diet because I was rarely home to eat dinner.
 
Nothing seemed to take away my need to put food in my mouth. It didn't matter what or when it was. Food has been a major part of my life. A way of life. My life has revolved around food for most of my life. I have really needed to find a way to stanch the flow of food. What would the breaking point be? Insulin? Nah...blood pressure? Nope. High Cholesterol? Oh no. Knowing how rampantly heart disease runs in my family and that my own father had a stroke at 17 didn't stop me.
 
In 2005, my brother & sister in law blessed me with my oldest niece. I wanted to live for Emma. Still, I shoveled food in. In 2010, I became an aunt again. As I sat and held Caroline, I knew I needed to do something, so I joined a gym and would go almost every day. I joined weight watchers and attempted to stick to it. I herniated 3 discs in my back in 2011. Stopped going to the gym, which wasn't that difficult since I had stopped going so faithfully, and ate like it was my last meal.
 
On January 2 of this year, during a visit to my endocrinologist, there were 2 words next to my name I never associated with my name. MOrbid Obesity. It was right then and there I made the decision to make the change.

So just wanted to comment that yesterday I got on the scale and it was down a half pound and today a whole other pound.(Down 19 total in just over 3 weeks) I was shocked. I lost 17 really fast the first 8 days then I stopped for over a week. I am almost a month out and the scale finally gave in. I am noticing changes to. I am still on softies for another 2 weeks then I think I am released for regular food. I admit I have had regular food a couple times and just chewed the dickens outta it. I do have restriction, and I do get hungry, no where near what I used to but if I go too long between meals I can tell, but by 3-4 bites it is over. We are going camping for the holiday weekend and I am going to be naughty and have a cocktail. Prob something with crystal light. I have been really good with no carbonation. This is the longest I have been with out pop!!!. I don't really miss it, I am getting really sick of crystal light, need to find new flavors. I have done excellent with protein intake and make a smoothie every morning, mostly eating chick salad tuna salad soup and refried beans, getting more creative all the time. No complaints here, the annoying nagging voice in my head that always wanted to eat more has been very quiet, maybe I gave myself the reins for once and it seems to be working. SW 265 CW 246

So just wanted to comment that yesterday I got on the scale and it was down a half pound and today a whole other pound.(Down 19 total in just over 3 weeks) I was shocked. I lost 17 really fast the first 8 days then I stopped for over a week. I am almost a month out and the scale finally gave in. I am noticing changes to. I am still on softies for another 2 weeks then I think I am released for regular food. I admit I have had regular food a couple times and just chewed the dickens outta it. I do have restriction, and I do get hungry, no where near what I used to but if I go too long between meals I can tell, but by 3-4 bites it is over. We are going camping for the holiday weekend and I am going to be naughty and have a cocktail. Prob something with crystal light. I have been really good with no carbonation. This is the longest I have been with out pop!!!. I don't really miss it, I am getting really sick of crystal light, need to find new flavors. I have done excellent with protein intake and make a smoothie every morning, mostly eating chick salad tuna salad soup and refried beans, getting more creative all the time. No complaints here, the annoying nagging voice in my head that always wanted to eat more has been very quiet, maybe I gave myself the reins for once and it seems to be working. SW 265 CW 246

Well, I am basically 7 months post op. My weight loss has slowed down to about 10 pounds a month. It doesn't bother me as long as I continue to see results.
 
I haven't been super strict with my diet. I am on the go a lot and started relying on my bars and shakes a little too much I think. I need to start cooking more so I am in control of my food and get that dense protein in my diet. I think that would help me a lot.
 
Other than that things are well. I have no complications. My surgeon is happy with my progress and thinks that I will be very successful. I don't see him until my 1 yr. post op appointment. My blood pressure and resting heart rate is lower than his!!! I believe it is all the cardio sessions I do.
 
I continue to work out 5-6 days a week and feel awesome. On the days I feel I need a break I just take a break.
 
I don't feel the stress like I used to pre-op. The stresses of what I eat, when I eat, how many times I work out etc. I guess I just have faith in myself and this process. It is working, is continuing to work, and I am faithful that if I do the right things it will work in the future.
 
Thank you body for adjusting to this process and doing what you are supposed to be doing...LOSING WEIGHT!

I checked in to the hospital earlier than anticipated Monday, Aug. 26th (they called and said they had a cancellation and could I come in early!).  After a few hours of prep and waiting and more waiting, I was finally wheeled away.  Surgery went quickly, doc said about an hour and NO hiatal hernia to repair after all!  Apparently sometimes the endoscopy will pick something up but then when they actually get in there, there's nothing to sew up.  Recovery was long for me.  I had a hard time waking up from the anesthesia.  I was in a ton of pain and almost collapsed when they got me out of bed the first time to go to the bathroom (no catheter for me) but thank goodness for my husband and a strong nurse that held on tight.  First night was rough - not going to lie.  I wasn't prepared for the pain from the gas they fill your tummy up with.  I have 6 2 inch incisions on my stomach and no bandages!  I came home yesterday the 27th and took my pain pills religiously thru the night to allow me to sleep.  Each hour gets easier and easier pain wise.  I'm up and walking a bit and doing 2 oz. or protein shakes at the top of each hour and as much water as I can get in.  My daughter just shared her chicken noodle soup broth with me and it was HEAVEN.  It feels very strange at first to have anything going down to the stomach pouch but I'm getting used to it.  I weighed 266 going in to surgery and gained a few pounds from the gas, fluids, etc. but my weight is going down quickly.  I can't eat until 9/19 when I go back for my 3 week appointment but I'm prepared with all my shakes and supplements, etc.  I'm so happy to have the actual surgery behind me and be moving on.  And I can't say enough about the staff at Swedish Hospital in Seattle - they are AMAZING! 

Today my life changed, at 09:02 mst my insurance approved my surgery!!! I thought this day would never come, and now that it is here I am even more anxious to keep going.
 
To all of you that are waiting on insurance approval, who think that everyone is out to get you, who think that the requirements that insurance give you are crazy......I was there and still can't have the clock move fast enough. Well I have my approval and I want my surgery date NOW....but of course my surgeon's office moves at a snails pace compared to how I think they should move.
 
My advice to you, don't give up, do what the insurance says, be your own advocate, talk to your insurance company (the utilization review nurse) and find out what is going on if your feel like your surgeon's office is not telling you everything. Ultimately it is the insurance that decides not the surgeon's office.
 
Ok I am so looking forward to my future for the first time in a long long time.