Wow! My composition professor would be appalled at my beginning anything with that but January was so insane for me that I can only begin with a Wow!

I prayed, I researched, I posted here, I poured over everything I could find on obesity and gastric surgeries. I watched an all day long marathon on the morbidly obese on Discovery Channel. As always, I overdid, I over-thought, I drove myself crazy.

I was in church on a Wednesday evening and could not set still. I finally went out into the lobby and called the insurance company. I was so hoping I was denied and then the searching for a decision was over. The man's voice on the phone told me differently. I was approved. By Friday I had my date. Jan. 31, 2007, with my liquid diet beginning on Jan. 17, 2007. In a week and a half my whole life was changing. The only thing I could compare this to was my pregnancies but this time it was all about me. Was I selfish or rather self-caring enough to go through with this? The idea of waiting on approval had actually caused me to go for the cokes and the caffeined sugary drinks even more and my sedentary job was just helping with the weight gain. I knew I had to quit the sugar now or forget the surgery.

Guess what the Wednesday evening services were on all the month of January? A personal trainer/ pastor gave health lectures and focused on fasting! When I decided to fast God had the whole church fast! I actually began liquids and protien shakes every day until the 17th followed by a healthy evening meal. I am truly blessed I did because I would not have made it through the two weeks of liquids 24/7 before surgery if I had not began to prepare weeks ahead of time.

My next entry I want to share what those two weeks of such a limited diet did for and to me mentally and physically. I learned about me and what I am vulnerable to. I also learned how strong I can be.