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So my journey started over ten years ago. Thats when I decided I need WLS, over the years I gained more and more wieght. Countless diets and atempts to lose wait failed. And with no means to afford WLS. I even tried to purchase Insurance to have WLS but to my surprise you cant buy Insurance if your Obese. I am a Barber by trade and one day I seen an ad for Insurance for Barbers no questions asked if you joined this association for barbers. I joined and was able to purchase Kaiser Ins. They truley are a blessing they got me on the right track. My first doctors app. was on Nov 8. 2011. I had many issues I wieghted in at 458, much to my surprise. Anyway they signed my up for options program that last 12 weeks long, taught me how to calorie count and got me on right track. I have lost 63 pounds pre-op. My surgery is scheduled for tomarrow April 20 at 1pm at Kaiser West La. I am not scared maybe a bit nervous but definatley ready. Today i have to be on a liquid diet, lucky i think because I hear the horror stories about 2 week pre-op diets. So tomarrow is my big date i am so ready to start my new life , with the instructions I have receaved and this tool I am ready to jump in head first. I will keep you all posted. I am gonna start blogging more often , because i found it very conforting to hear from other people that going threw this journey.

My how time flies. I think this is week 6 for me! I'm dealing with a few hiccups but overall I'm doing very well. I've been stalled for about 2 weeks now. It has a lot to do with my gallbladder issues and I'm going to see the surgeon about it tomorrow. Now here is the kicker. I gained like half an inch on my arms and chest while stuck at 237 but I had to remind myself that it will pass. PLUS I've been working out like crazy and lifting weights so OF COURSE I'm gaining inches of muscle! I just wonder will it sabatoge this golden window everytone speaks of the first 6 months being for weight loss. Back to the gallbladder. I don't want to go into the appointment like "I told you so" but I did ask him to take it out with my sleeve and he told me it was not neccesary because most patients don't have issues. I should have insisted on it, but you live and you learn. It really does lower my respect of his opinion. I swear sometimes I feel like I know more about this surgery than him or my NUT..... On a good note, my confidence is through the roof. It's such an eye opening to feel good about myself and realize just how much I turned down chances to hang out or try different things when I was 40 pounds heavier. I've been running, playing basketball, going to bootcamp classes on campus, and tonight I'm going to a Zumba class. I can get through an hour or dancing without realizing how much time has gone by. I'm making plans this summer to go rafting and hiking with friends. My energy level is through the roof! I'm no longer living, I'm finally Alive! Since the scale isn't moving, I'm motivating myself by trying to claim as many NSVs as possible. 1. All of my labs are...normal? What is that word? Normal. I don't remember the last time I had normal labs.<--- Wow! 2. I painted my toes. I was even able to rest my knee as I painted! <----That is EPIC! 3. I can cross my legs. I do it without even realizing it now. <---I've NEVER been able to cross my legs comfortably. 4. i went to a international festival and bought a bracelet. It fits!. <----- I couldn't buy normal jewelry for the past 5 years without some kind of extender. Thank you for reading. I hope each one of you has a wonderful rest of the week!

Our church has a Food Bank that is open once a month. As the Director of the Food Bank, it's my responsibility to ensure there is enough food to provide several day's worth of meals for those who come in. Normally, we are able to receive food from a non-profit organization that provides about 50% of our food for free, however, this month, they were booked solid and were not able to assist. So i spent all day yesterday out shopping for food, and putting it in the Food Bank. Thankfully, I had a friend who went with me to help. What i wasn't really paying attention to was how very little I ate, and also how many pounds of food that I handled. Putting food in the cart, placing it on the check-out belt, then sacking it, then taking it to the truck, then taking it out of the truck, and then carrying into the Food Bank, then placing it on the shelves. It is such a tremendous blessing to be able to be involved in this ministry, that I just wasn't really paying a lot of attention to what I was doing physically, as well as the amount of food I was consuming. For my food yesterday, my intake was a cup of coffee, a slim-fast shake, a few bites of refried beans, a few bites of chicken fajita meat, and that was it!! I don't know why I didn't think more abut eating. I just wasn't hungry, and I was having such a great time being able to purchase food for those in need, that I just didn't THINK! So when I got up this morning, I felt really bad. No energy, sore and achy. I decided to step on the scale, and I had lost 1.2lbs since yesterday! I don't think it's a good idea to lose that much in one day - and I would strongly recommend that no one else do it. I can tell you that it sure as heck doesn't feel good. Even though today is my 4 week "Surgiversary", I have learned that I'm not as far along the healing journey as I thought I was. I am not invincible (although some days I feel it), and that I need to pay closer attention to what I'm doing, and what I'm eating. Lesson Learned!

Ok, guys. I stayed at the same weight from August of 2011 until Jan 2012. I went down 2 lbs up 2 lbs. I didn't cheat, I ate healthy. I tried to exercise but due to an injury it just didn't happen. I had hoped to be at goal within a year of surgery. I thought I only have 103 lbs to loss, I can do that. But it didn't happen. I had a fill on Jan 30th and bam, 20 lbs gone. Can't explain it, don''t even begin to understand it. Do not get discouraged, if you are eating right and exercising, it will come off. I think the one thing I am learning more than anything is patience. And believe me some days it is hard. I exercise my butt off these days. Scales barely move, I drop a pound and turn around and gain 2. I drop my carbs, I increase my protein. Scales have not budged but I have dropped another size. Please remember this is about the journey and changing behavior and a life time of bad habits. Jennifer you will get in those jeans, I bought a skirt at the end of the summer last year, it took me 7 months to fit into it, and now it is 2 sizes to big. It was a 12 and I looked like a stuffed sausage in it, the first day I wore it to work I could barely sit down but it zipped up and I was going to wear it. Girls we will get there, I believe in all of us.

My office staff knows Im having surgery... 1. because we are extremely tight knit, I babysit people's children for whole weekends, they were at my wedding, etc. 2. because we are all overweight, and we complain and do WW and fail. There are some here who need to feel it is ok to go have SURGERY--it is necessary for some, I AM ONE and just opening up and saying Im going to the seminar, has had everyone doing their research. They can all make their own decision. We are all women here and we struggle together. Im SURE that if insurance covered tummy tucks a few people here would have it done in a blink of an eye! To EACH her OWN and 2 people are going to seminars to learn about it!and Im all about being informed! I was motivated to do it by someone who i used to work with who had it done. My work family is not a concern...actually its my husbands family who is! haha! They are all about body images and weight loss (yet most should be asking to workout with me instead of commenting) I already told my husband...U ZIP IT MISTER...no one is to know on your side! and my family doesnt know outside of my parents and sisters. I just dont want the crap answers of oh you can lose that if you eat right and exercise...but are the same people who say "Why dont you want to eat" when they are trying to serve me a man size plate of plantains and fried chicken. Same people who go to Dominican Republic for a routine Lipo and breast lift but look down their nose at the mention of getting WLS. My thing is why cant i wear this decision proudly as a badge of courage for taking my problem by the nuts!? Why do we need to be so secretive? I see this as my fertility treatment, I need to do this to move forward. I need to do this for me emotionally as well. Do we look down at the person who gets a pace maker for their heart? This is my pacemaker...I need to do this to LIVE my life.

I had my lapband procedure on April 11, 2012, I have to say was not expecting to feel that much pain when I woke up in recovery that I actually needed morphine. Since that day I really have feelings of regret is this really worth the pain, soreness, and unability to pick up my 2 year old. But it is done and I am already down 6 pounds which is kind of the brighter side to feeling regret of this decision. While I know it will all be worth it in the end I just seems like such a long haul right now. I have been handling this liquid diet pretty good but now I am just starving and I want to eat everything in sight. Im so sick of crystal light, jello, ices, and broth. Does anyone have any suggestions on mixing this diet up to get me through my last few days?? I know the proper thing to do is follow this diet, I am really scared to go off and eat something I am not supposed to but I dont know how to handle it anymore. Right now im at the point where I put food in my mouth just to taste it I chew it up and spit it ( I know its nasty but it satisfys the taste). My family sits down for dinner and Im italian the typical sunday dinner spread was put out, and Im smelling this food seeing I wanted to rip out this damn band and eat everything in sight lol!!!!

I think your lifestyle of eating should be directed at "the most bang for your 2 oz" lol...protiens first. Really focus on the protiens. Seek them out in animal form, and do not be afraid of a small amount of fat. Avoid processed meats once you can. brown turkey meat has slightly higher fat than white, chicken with a little evoo, bison over cow, etc...look to alternate forms of getting in your veggies (I said look, you decide) - I have found jucing and soups that are cold -veggie medlies, etc. are excellent for me. I use it to help supplement my fluids through the day, leaving meals for protien. I do suggest avoiding carbs in the forms of breads and crackers and dumplings, etc. They just do not pack enough nutritional punch. Eventually maybe barley or oameal in the morning or teffa (am I saying it right??). If you are referring to the paleo diet in reference to the caveman diet, i call it bunk! If you really want to know what is best for you - it takes a lot of real knowledge - get away from the books promoting diets - read the anatomy texts, the biochem references, the articles posted as studies and papers...alot of knowledge will go a long way (no i did not mean a little, I meant a lot). Some basics to keep in mind with food, and I am just mentioning a few, please feel free to add to the list: Allergies - food allergies!!! this affects soooo much, even very dangerous inflamation you may not even realize is going on inside of your body - that feeling in your sinuses? You get that elsewhere too when you expose yourself to a daily onslaught of food you are allergic too. Medications - some medications need to be taken with food or without, avoiding certain foods or types of food, naturally raise or lower blood pressure or affect glucose levels - which you may need to counter with timing your food, food choices (avoiding sodium if you take a med that already is a potential to raise blood pressure, etc - fiber and additional good oil in diet if prone to constipation. Probiotic foods if you have been recently exposed to antibiotics. Do a blood panel every 3 months to begin with - and pay attention to what that says about your food needs...platelets going down? You may need more red meats, or beans and lentils, etc...or perhaps you need to avoid donating blood for a little while? Like I said sooo much to consider. I say this only if you are really considering adopting a "lifestyle" food choice...there is not a need for that, in my opinion. Good luck. if you do choose one please let us know and how it worked!

Ok folks- I'm going to expose my inner nerd a little here, so don't go telling anyone that I'm not as cool as all that, ok? I finally broke the 300 lb. barrier and am soooo excited to be in the 200s again. Ok, I'm only at 296, but that counts. So as I lift my eyes to look across the span of the next 100 lbs, I'm feeling a little like Frodo when he and Sam finally get into Mordor and look across to Mount Doom. (After all the spider trauma, of course;) ) All they see is a vast wasteland filled with threatening foes waiting to take them down. But, on the other side....Frodo knows that freedom from the burden chained around his neck awaits. I know the freedom from this weight is coming. It just looks so daunting right now. Such a loooooong.....rocky....journey. But I'm ready. I know it's not magic, and it's going to take hard work. But when I get there, the relief will be soooooooo SWEET!!!!! I can't wait to cast it into the fire!! Nerd moment over. Carry on.

Just gotta love this. I had a love hate relationship with food forever and now I can take it or leave it. My favorite foods don't taste good and the things I hated taste great. Love the fact that all I need is just a taste (1 bite) of something and then walk away. I hated green veggies wouldn't eat them at all and now I find I crave them go figure. I am 6.5 weeks out and eating (tasting) food again but with out the worries. If I even have 1 bite more than my stomach thinks it can handle it lets me know in a hurry. Love'n my sleeve. I average about 4-5oz any more than that I get sick. Food has lost it's appeal for me and am very thankful.

I did. I did go out and have a good time. There were a couple awkward moments because they were talking about people at work that were of size and were not appropriate with their size. What I mean by that is, when you know that you're of size, you probably shouldn't try to sit in a little mini armchair and then be all shocked when you don't fit. And I'm not talking about a normal size chair - I'm talking about a kids chair that has arms that I wouldn't sit in if I weighed a quarter of what I do now. Then they apologized to me for making the comment - and I was like....uhm - why apologize to me? I'm not trying to squeeze my ass into a hello kitty chair. But other that it was pretty fun.