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I wanted to throw in an update because just... WOW!!! For MONTHS I've been stressing due to all the swellings, weight gains and whatever else comes with plastic surgery... however - as always with time comes healing and RESULTS!!! Every single day now I'm seeing humungous differences!! I'm over the moon right now, and THANKING EVERYTHING GOOD that I chose the right surgeons. They performed literally miracles for me. I. AM. HAPPY. In the last 4 weeks alone I've dropped NEARLY 15 INCHES off my whole body!!!! YAYAYEEESSSSS!!!!! Picture Updates: carweightintrunk.bmp Source: My Plastics Journey - My first one (of several)

Today is my 2 week anniversary post op. Since I started my pre-op diet on Thanksgiving day, I have lost 21 lbs! Not too bad for the amount of time. When I break it down, I've lost about 11 lbs since surgery (I think?!). Ive been doing really well w/the pureed foods---I cheated yesterday & today w/some soft proteins--just some low calorie, yummy lunch meat. It was nice to chew again! The best thing I've been doing for myself is going daily to the fitness center & walking on the treadmill---I do a little over 2 miles at a nice even pace & get that heart beating--even break a sweat. And then I take the dog on about 2 walks a day. You cant overestimate the importance of exercise---I have a sedentary job & after 26 years of sitting on my increasingly fatter a**, I really need to work on getting my metabolism going again. Ive never had high blood pressure, but my regular Dr told me today that its at an even better level---Im looking forward to my next cholesterol test too! Get off those expensive pills...sheesh! The band--the experience--its all that I make of it. I refuse to contemplate the idea of going thru all of this and then failing!! Not even an option. Good Luck to us all!

THE BEAST HAS ARRIVED. With all the holiday hustle and bustle, I find myself having difficulties eating the proper foods and making it to the gym. I was only able to go one day last week because of dr appts and being sick. I never thought I would say I miss exercising. Sunday I went to a Christmas party at my friend's house. She is a fabulous cook and there was food galore. I stuck to my convictions pretty well, but did find myself munching on the stuffed and bacon wrapped dates. They were so delicious. SHAME ON ME. Yester was not much better with eating because I had errands to do in town. And because I do not want my family to feel left out because I am dieting (or should I say finally living), I am still baking and preparing foods for my family beause I don't want them to feel deprived because of me...the good thing is that I am only making half as much of the goodies...no double batches this year. When it is gone, it is gone, and I will not be helping myself! Today I am happy to say I am managing to get into the swing of things and get back on the wagon and am feeling pretty good about things. I am even going to make it to the gym this afternoon. NO EXCUSE NOT TO GO! This is time of year is among my favorite. I love the festivities and the gathering of family and friends and good times. I have discovered that I am a social eater and therein lies the BEAST. So much of our lives (me and my family/friends) i surrounded by food and drink, and since my hubby is Italian, the theory is EAT, EAT, EAT, or in Italian, Mange, Mange, Mange. That is how I came to become almost 300 pounds...that and because they are easily insulted if you don't eat (is that because they are such wonderful cooks?) Anyway, this is my way of venting and releasing my frustrations. I am going to need to stay focused, and remember my motto, "hunger is a figment of my imagination".

I was doing some Xmas shopping today and I realized how addicted I was to fast-food. I never thought twice grabbing a couple tacos or cheeseburgers and down it with a big gulp of mt.dew while I did errands in town. Some days I would have fast-food twice in one day! So today I was in mourning, just the thought of not having fast food saddens me. But fast food is how I got to be so overweight. Each bite I took added numbers to the scale, inches on my hips, and more chins then I can count. This is a whole new world for me. I need to accept the fact that I'm not the person that I once was. This will be a long road for me and it's not going to be easy. BUT, it will allllll be worth it when I'm able to love myself again and embrace life. And besides, I might be able to buy myself a new car with all the money I will be saving from not buying tacos, cheeseburgers, and big gulp mt.dew's!!

Well wouldn't you know it, it's time for Round 2 already! Of course the days seem to speed up right before surgery, especially with the holidays and all the prep that entails as well. I have my Christmas gifts shipped off to family, got finished today with E's gifts and stocking stuffers. I hope I will feel well enough on Saturday to wrap gifts! It's actually something I love to do. I should've been a Macy's gift wrapper during the holidays. Well, back in the mid-nineties after graduating from college my boyfriend (and now ex-husband) and I took a year long hiatus and traveled around the country in an old beat up pop-up VW bus. We ran out of money when we hit Portland, Oregon and decided to look for work asap. I found a job at a great gift and card store called Presents of Mind (if you are ever in Portland it's in SE on Hawthorne St- still there!) and I was there during the holiday season. They had a gift wrapping station with the coolest selection of quality wrapping paper and ribbons of all kinds, and I loved it when a customer wanted something wrapped. I am a little OCD about some things, and I seek perfection in my gift wrapping technique and presentation! Well, it has carried on through the years, and I truly enjoy wrapping each gift I send my sister with care, always coming up with a different bow or ribbon configuration, to make each gift look like a unique confection. I must say, I do a pretty good job! It helps that we are adults and she truly enjoys turning over each gift and delighting in the color scheme, the preciseness of the scale of the bow......okay I am getting out of control here. I think you get how much I like wrapping gifts! There is one gift for E that I am going to wrap tonight. I got him an air chair.....for those unfamiliar, it's like a hammock chair, but made out of canvas and sewn to the shape of a semi-upright chair, complete with armrests, footrests and drink holder! It will be perfect for him to relax with a book on the back porch in his air chair come spring.......Anyway it's in a big box that I don't want to deal with maneuvering post-op, so I'll get to that tonight. Plus some last minute decking the walls....I LOVE Christmas and even though it's going to be spent this year in a Percocet stupor with no homemade cookies to nibble on, cocktails to imbibe in, or parties to attend, I'll love it anyway as long as I can rest on the sofa, enjoy the beautiful tree, listen to some Christmas music, and watch E open his gifts from me. So wish me luck as I go under the knife for the second attempt at getting that Band. I thought about but never followed through on homemade Christmas cookies for the nurses....a little bribe for some extra TLC couldn't hurt, right? But alas, I ran out of time. My main concern is that my body doesn't give Dr.Schneider any trouble this time but if it does, I hope he is prepared and I stabilize and the banding is a success. That's my Christmas wish. What's yours? I wish you all a season of peace with yourself; who you are, where you've come, and where you are going in life. If you've got that, everything else you could want, it will follow!