Well, I had my one week follow up yesterday. Dr said I am doing great!! My one week weight loss was 12.6 pounds!!!!! I now weigh 219.2lbs!! I feel great!!!

Well, I had my one week follow up yesterday. Dr said I am doing great!! My one week weight loss was 12.6 pounds!!!!! I now weigh 219.2lbs!! I feel great!!!

Day 4 Post Surgery

Well, so far it doesn't seem to be too bad.  I am starting to adjust to the new diet.  It's such a weird feeling, only eating 2oz of soft foods and being full!!!  I have been trying to get up and walk as much as possible without overdoing it.   I was very lucky, my best friend Sandy came up from Pennsylvania to help out with my son and me for a few days.  I couldn't have made it through the first few days without her!!!!!  My weight on my pre-op day was 232.2, and I am being very strict and not allowing myself to step on a scale until my first post-op visit on Wednesday December 15th.  

Thanks to everyone who reads this for giving me all of your support.

Until next time.....

I am officially getting sprung from the hospital!!!! The doctor said i am a model patient!!!! Yay :)

Made it thru surgery!!! Im in a bit of pain and very tired. Will update all of you later.

Well, its 6:07am and I am sitting at the hospital waiting to go back and get checked in. I will update all of you as soon as I can.

Surgical Pre-Testing

Well, I had all my surgical pre-testing today, as well as my final weigh-in before surgery.  I was so psyched when they did the weigh-in....since my first appointment on October 6, I have lost 14.2 pounds!!!!  Starting yesterday, I am on the modified liquid diet.  Basically the diet consists of the following:  a protein shake for breakfast, an apple for snack, protein shake for lunch, one piece of string cheese for snack, lean cuisine meal for dinner, and a hard boiled egg for snack.  I also have to make sure I get my 64oz of water in too.  I am completely off of soda and coffee!! 

I have never been more motivated, and I intend to make everyone, includuing myself, very proud.   This has been a struggle for me so far, and it's not going to get any easier.  But I am glad that have such a great support system around me!!!

Thanks everyone.   Let the countdown begin....7 days and counting!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Until next time.....

Excited!!!

Okay, so my surgery date is set...the hospital called and did my pre-registration as well.  I have all my pre-testing next Tuesday Nov. 30th.  That will be the first day of my modified liquid diet as well.  The modified liquid diet is required one week prior to surgery.  It will consist of 2 slim fast high protein shakes (or a regular whey protein shake instead), one lean cuisine or healthy choice meal, and 3 snacks that will either be a hard cooked egg or one piece of string cheese.  I'm kinda glad I will be able to get through thanksgiving first...lol.  I am very excited because my father and my niece are coming to see me for thanksgiving.  I can't wait to see them!!!!!  
But let me tell you, the reality of my surgery is finally starting to set in....and it will be an emotional roller coaster over the next few weeks.  I could use all the support I can get from all of my friends!!! So please keep me in your thoughts and prayers over the next few weeks. 

I will keep you all updated :)

Until next time.....

Surgery!!!!!

Just got a call from the doctor.....surgery is scheduled for Tuesday December 7!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   Here comes the new skinner, healthier me!!!!!!!!!!

I love the fact that losing just a small amount of weight over the past 6 weeks has given me so much energy!! Even got some xmas shopping done!!!!! Yay!!

I love the fact that losing just a small amount of weight over the past 6 weeks has given me so much energy!! Even got some xmas shopping done!!!!! Yay!!

Two days in a Row!!

So two mornings in a row, I got up at 4:30 to see the Leonid Meteor Shower.  The only exception....my son Andrew wanted to get up with me this morning to see it too!!!  We didn't see very much, but we saw a few meteors.  Andrew was absolutely amazed!!!  What an experience for him, and what a great way for me to spend time with my son, and he got something educational out of it too!!!  He was a little groggy, but he went back to bed at 5:20 then was up at 7am cuz he had to be to school by 7:30am for his first band practice :)

Awesome morning!!!! :)

Okay, this has nothin to do with my weight loss, but i got up at 4:30 this morning just so i could watch the Leonid meteor shower. One word for it: AMAZING!!!!

So, im down 10 pounds now, and went from a size 22 jean to a size 20. It looks like surgery will be the beginning fo december :-)

Time flies when you're having fun!!!

Well my friends, it has been awhile since I last posted on here.  So I guess I owe all of you an update on what's been going on.  This past friday November 5th, I had my one month follow up with Dr. Sheila Partridge at Newton-Wellesley Hospital's Center for Weight Loss.   Now keep in mind, that one month ago I had to quit smoking, completely change my diet, attend 3 meetings, and start exercising more.  Well, it was a struggle to keep on track, but I pulled it off.  I still had a cheat day and wasn't perfect with my new diet, but for the most part I was able to stick to it and steered myself away from all the tempting bad foods.  I gained more energy by eating healthy...so much energy that I feel like the energizer bunny around the house....I am constantly going, can't sit still!!!!  I'm cleaning, organizing, and trying to find anything to keep me busy.  I try to get out and walk at least 3 times a week, and the other days I'm outside raking leaves, or sometimes I just hop on my motorcycle and go for a ride. 
Anyway, in the end all my hard work paid off.  I officially lost 8.1 pounds!!!!  And the dietician/nutritionist and the doctor were both pleased with my progress...that when the doctor came in to see me, after making sure that I would stay committed to the program, she asked how soon I would like to have the surgery!!!!  I told her "the sooner the better".   So she informed me that she had some openings at the end of this month.  So now I am awaiting a date for surgery once they receive the approval from my insurance company!!! 
I am so excited about this!!!!!!!!!   I feel like I'm on cloud nine!!!  :-)  What better way to celebrate my 34th birthday.....besides my husband getting me the Magic Bullet blender/food processor, this is the greatest present I could ever get!!

As for school, everything is falling in to place.  My financial aid papers have been processed, I have gotten the necessary immunizations/shots, in which that was interesting in itself...seeing as my primary doctor gave me the tetanus shot, and I had an allergic reaction and infection from it and ended up on antibiotics!!  But anyway, I am now awaiting a date for orientation and classes will start January 24th!! 

So all in all, I have a lot to be thankful for and a lot to look forward to in the next few months. 

And I would especially like to thank all my friends who have been helping me through this journey.  A few of you have really been there for me (you know who you are!!) and I couldn't be doing any of this without the support of my very close friends! 

Until next time.....

An awesome day....got my acceptance letter to Massassoit Community College today!! Classes start January 24th, and I can't wait!!!!!!! So excited!!!

First required support group

Part of the requirements for pre-surgery is that we attend three seminars/group meetings.  The first one I went to was the new patient informational seminar.  Last night I attended my second meeting.  It was a group meeting for pre-op patients, as well as post-op patients up to 6 months after surgery.  The topic of the meeting was "The Blended Diet".  It was very informative, as they talked about what the diet is going to be for the first 2 weeks.  It is a very strict diet, and they couldn't say enough times that you have to follow the diet precisely!  And hearing some of the post-op patients speak and tell us their experiences so far was really enlightening.  It was very helpful, and I'm so glad that I was there to be able to hear about this topic. 

This whole journey is going to be tough, and I'm glad that I have a great support system of friends and family around me to help me through all of this.

Until next time.....

Still a struggle, but getting easier

Okay, so I have to admit that it's still a struggle following this strict diet.  And I wouldn't be human if I didn't have set backs.  But I'm finding that as the days pass by, it's getting easier to follow the diet.  After my trip to the grocery store, I took my veggies and cut them up so that they were already prepared, and I stored them in containers in the fridge.  This way I could just open the containers and throw the stuff together for a salad....all I have to do is cut up either chicken or steak to add to the salad.....so it makes it easier to prepare my meals.  And for the first time in a good while, I'm starting to cook dinners again, and actually finding a little bit of joy in it. 
I am so excited for this journey, and I'm really taking joy in each passing day of this adventure.

Until next time....

First trip to the supermarket

Okay, so I made my first trip to the grocery store to pick up a few things that are on the healthier side.  For me, if I don't have the stuff in the house, I will eat all the bad food that's in the house.  So my groceries that I got consisted of the following:  red, yellow, and green peppers....bagged lettuce....mushrooms...cherry tomatoes...skim milk...yogurt....and bananas.  I already had some leftover baked chicken that I will cut up and put into a salad.  I am trying to be as strict as I can, and stay away from all the carbs. 
Tonight's dinner was a true test for me.  My mother-in-law made dinner this evening which consisted of a roasting chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes with gravy, and biscuits.  I was extremely tempted by the mashed potatoes and biscuits...cuz I love them!!!  But instead, I sucked it up and had chicken and green beans.  And boy was that hard to do....but I kept reminding myself that it was worth it to stick with the diet the doctors told me to follow. 

This is about me....and being a healthier me is going to be worth all the hard work.  And for my friends and family who are reading this, I couldn't be doing any of this without your support....so I want to thank you all for your love and support.

Until next time....

Juggling the new diet with the family

Okay, so I will be the first to admit that following a strict diet is a lot harder than it seems.  And when you have a family that doesn't want to always eat healthy, it makes it even more difficult.  Yes, I do understand that this is about me, not them.  And although I shouldn't ask them to change their eating habits, my hope is that they would WANT to change their eating habits so that we can get through this journey together.   Starting this strict diet couldn't have come at a better time....haha, yeah right!  This is probably the worst time of year for me to make this decision....my husband's birthday is just 5 days away, my birthday is next month, and December holds christmas and my son's birthday.  Now what am I to do about birthday cake??  It is such a weakness for me.  Every year for birthday, I ask for one thing.....a birthday cake from KonditorMeister.  If you don't know what that is, check out their webpage   http://www.konditormeister.com/
Their cakes are to die for!!!    But this year it will be different.  Although it will be difficult, I am determined to follow this diet and make all the right changes.....and do it for me!  

Now yesterday happened to be a pretty good day.  I had a normal breakfast (small bowl of multi-gran cheerios with skim milk), a decent lunch (tuna sandwich on wheat bread), and a healthy dinner (boneless, skinless chicken with broccoli and carrots).   We had dinner at about 6pm....and by 8:30 I felt like I was starving!!!  Part of that is because I didn't have healthy snacks in between....partly because I need to make a trip to the grocery store seeing as there really isn't any food in the house.   But anyway, at 8:30 I was soooo tempted to send my husband out for garlic bread with cheese.  And I kept playing it in my head...do I or don't I......well, I finally decided not to do it!  I reminded myself that it wouldn't do me any good and that I needed to stick with my plan and really follow through this time!  

I am always looking for new recipes, and suggestions on how to make healthy meals that my husband and son will eat as well.  So please send me your suggestions and tips :-)

Until next time.....

First Consultation Appointment

Okay....first of all, I was a little nervous going in to this consultation appointment...not really sure what to expect.  I knew that I was going to be there for about 4-5 hours though.  So I headed out to Newton in the pouring rain at 7:15am.  Traffic was a complete nightmare getting there.  I had to call them and say I was running late, because being stuck in traffic on Rte 128 in the vicinity of Boston and the Mass Pike....it just leaves you with nowhere to go!!  So after a very long traffic filled ride, I finally arrived at my destination and proceeded to enter the office.  I signed in and did all the insurance card info and signed the HIPAA form (privacy act paperwork)  and almost immediately I was taken back to meet with Mary, the psych nurse.  Mary was very thorough in getting a sense of my past physical and mental history....she really wanted to get inside my head and make sure that I would mentally be able to handle the aftermath of the surgery.  She wanted to make sure that I would be able to hold myself accountable for the changes I need to make before and after.  So after talking with her for about almost an hour, I was then brought back out to the waiting room.  After a few minutes I was brought in to meet with Linda, the nutritionist.  At this point, the first thing Linda did was had me step on the scale.  I weighed in at 246lbs.  After weighing in, she took a picture of me for my file.  She then calculated my BMI  to be at 45.  She had me go through my weight loss trials so that she could document my achievements and losses with each one.  Next, she went through my two day food diary and talked to me about what my weaknesses with food are.   At this point, she made it clear to me what I had to do as far as modifying my diet.  So from this point on, I am on a pretty strict diet.  I was told I need to cut out about 90% of my carb intake.  For example, I am allowed to have mult-grain cheerios for breakfast, for lunch I can either have a salad with chicken, or a sandwich....but the sandwich has to be either on pita bread or on a wrap.  NO sub rolls or bread!!!  For dinner, typically a healthy meal would consist of 1/2 the plate filled with veggies, 1/4 with protein, and 1/4 with carbs.....well, I need to cut out the carbs at dinner time and add more veggies.   Things I have to cut out of my diet are: sugar, cheese, fried foods, and fast food.  I also need to cut out my coffee intake as well as soda.  I can drink as much water and crystal light as I want.   
Now after Linda went through all of this with me, she made it clear that they don't necessarily want me to lose weight, they just do not want to see me gain any weight.  If I gain weight, then the whole process will be pushed even farther away. 
After this, I was then handed a slip to go to the lab and have my bloodwork done.  Once I returned, I was brought into a room with one of the medical assistants.  She took measurements of my neck, waist and hips....and checked my pulse, oxygen, and blood pressure (which were normal).  Now it was time for Dr. Patridge to come in and speak to me.  She came in and reviewed my history, and reviewed what Linda had stated about my diet and made it clear that I needed to keep up with it, as well as increasing my walking from every other day to 4-5 times a week.   She also let me know that surgery would be at least 2-3 months out from the time I quit smoking...which I did before coming to this appointment.  And for the record, I have no cravings at all!!!!!!!!!   So as it stands right now, it looks like late December or January would be the earliest that I could have the surgery. 
My next appointment is scheduled for Friday November 5th.  I also I have two support groups that I will need to attend as well.  I will attend one before my next appointment, and the second one I will be able to attend a few days after my next appointment.  


As far as going back to college, I am going to drop off my application at the college today, and I also finished my application for federal student aid. 

Things are moving forward!!  And I am really happy, and looking forward to this amazing journey!!!!!!



Until next time.....

Blood work from my doctor

Well, I just got my blood work from my doctor.  It looks as though most of my labs came back normal.  Yay!!!  Oh wait...not so fast.....my cholesterol levels were not good at all.   Out of the four things they look for in your cholesterol, the only level that was normal was my LDL (bad) cholesterol.  Go figure.   My total cholesterol was 207, my HDL was 45, and my triglycerides were 259.   Now, I'm not a nurse or a doctor or anything, so I had no idea what any of these numbers meant.  So I surfed the web, and got my answers.  Apparently these numbers are not so great.  

Now what really is kinda weird to me is this.....I have been obese for over 11 years now.  Each and everytime I have had blood work done (which is at least once, if not twice a year), my levels have ALWAYS been normal, or at the low end of normal range.   I was diagnosed with diabetes this past December, and have been on Metformin since then...and it has my sugar levels quite normal.  But never before have I had any problems with my cholesterol. 

So I guess this is just another eye opener for me.....another bean to throw in the pot, letting me know that things need to change drastically.  Well, I have my consultation appointment on Wednesday with the doctor....so I'm sure you will hear from me then.

Until then......

First info meeting

Well, last night was the New Patient Information Seminar for weight loss surgery at Newton Wellesley Hospital.  This seminar is required for anyone that has a consultation appointment already scheduled, and you MUST attend this seminar before they allow you to come to your consultation appointment.  Talk about overwhelming!!!  The good thing about this seminar, is that it was presented by the doctor with whom I have my appointment already scheduled...Dr. Sheila Partridge. 

Now earlier in the day, I had made a trip to see my primary care doctor to get the paperwork filled out for their part of my info packet.  And of course, as part of the appointment, my nurse practitioner (Cathy Obin at Blue Hills Medical.....she is AMAZING!!!) had me step on the dreaded scale so that she could document my starting point with this whole journey.   Needless to say, I was not happy with what I saw....starting weight is 242lbs....a BMI of 45.   Now, I knew that I was overweight....and I have tried many diets.  At one point my doctor had me on prescription "Meridia", which I did well on and lost about 20-25lbs, but unfortunately I hit a plateau....and at that point it was getting too expensive to pay for, seeing that insurance didn't cover it.  So after coming off the Meridia, I gained all those pounds back :-(    Then about a year after that, I started doing "LA Weight Loss" at their center in Brockton.  I followed this program to a T....and I lost about 20-25 pounds, hit a plateau.....and yet again, it was getting too costly to pay for the food and supplements.   So yet again, I gained the weight back...and then some!

It is very unfortunate that some of the good weight loss programs are so expensive, and not cost effective for people to be able to access.   Yeah, I know....you should be able to diet and exercise on your own.  Well folks, I tried that too.   For about 6 months, I was watching what I ate.....had lots of veggies and protein, and kept my carb intake very low.  I was walking about 1.2 miles a day as well.    And guess what....I lost about 20-25lbs on my own in the first 2 months....but got stuck there yet again.

Now one thing that was stated at the seminar last night, is that even with diet and exercise, some people metabolically are not able to lose the weight.  This is something that I had always thought in my mind, but hearing the doctor say it out loud made me feel so much better.   Growing up, I was always the real skinny one.  My mom used to tease me and say I looked anorexic.....but it wasn't the case.  And believe me, if you saw what I consumed for food everyday, you would wonder where it all went.  But as I have grown older, my body and metabolism have changed.   And now, for the first time in a long time, I can see a light at the end of the tunnel.   I want to go into this process with my eyes wide open.  

Until next time.....

The Beginning Process

Okay, I am new to this whole blogging deal....but I thought this would be a great way to chronicle my journey in life of making changes.  First, let me tell you a little bit about myself.   I am 33 years old, soon to be 34....I graduated from Beaver Falls High School in 1995, and then attended (but never graduated) Eastern Nazarene College from fall of 95 to January of 99.  I was a music major in college, but unfortunately I guess I wasn't really ready to step up to the plate and focus on being a college student, so I failed out of my classes.  I got married in February of 1999, and my son was born in December of 1999.  Since then, life has been a whirlwind of ups and downs.  I have let my life spin out of control on many different levels, and I have finally decided to take charge of my life and make some changes.

To begin with, there are two major changes that I am looking into.  The first change, is gastric bypass surgery.  The second change, is going back to college.  

For me, these are two very huge changes that will affect everything I do for the rest of my life.  I am looking forward to these changes, and I want to chronicle my journey through this blog.  If there is one thing I have learned, it is that you need a large support system around you made up of your family and friends.  So I hope that all of you will follow me and support me in these choices, as I look forward to sharing my ups and downs throughout this entire journey.

Until next time....