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So, today I went to the gym, and because I keep reading how so many people are walking 3 and 5 miles a day, I decided to do the elliptical rather than the treadmill. For some reason, I can't seem to do more than 30 minutes on the treadmill. I can't decide if I just get bored or I'm actually too tired to do more. Either way, I switched it up. Before surgery, I wouldn't be able to do more than 10 to 15 minutes on the elliptical. Today, I did 33 minutes! I did have to push myself to keep going though. Last time I did the elliptical, my calf started hurting after 10 minutes, so I had to stop. I'm so happy that I did this today and hope it continues to be this easy. =)

Well, after quite a stall, I am down 3 pounds since my doctor's appointment this last Friday and it has stayed off for 2 days now. I finally remembered to buy a measuring tape at the store and have started keeping track of my measurements. I sure wish I had remembered to buy one earlier, so that I could know where exactly I started at, but that's ok. I'm trying to stay possitive. I have found that there is more protein in a serving of chicken than there is in a protein drink, so I'm going to try to not drink those anymore, especially since I am now on regular foods again. I just hope that I don't get sick of eating chicken. I'm not a big fish fan, unless it's lobster and crab. LOL I found that I hate ground turkey. We'll see how many new recipes I can come up with to not get bored with this. =)

So, I had my 1 month follow up appointment today with my doctor. It wasn't a good visit, in my opinion. He didn't understand why I haven't lost any weight since my last visit 3 weeks ago. I told him that I had the same concern. I explained that I had in fact gained weight and just lost that weight this last week. It was really a depressing visit and I just wanted to cry while talking to him. I know he didn't mean to, but he really made me feel like I'm failing at this. I'm trying my hardest. I still can't eat more than 600 to 700 calories a day, I don't snack more than once or twice a day, and I get most of my protein in. I try to get all my fluids in, but it's been hard. I have even given up coffee (which has been really hard for me) because I know that if I drink coffee, I won't drink water as I tend to sip my coffee most of the day. Sometimes I feel like I'm crazy the way I read every damn nutrition label making sure that I don't eat something that has too much of the wrong things in it and choose something that has all of the right things. He kept talking about liquid calories and I just wanted to yell and tell him to shut up about that because the only liquid I even drink is water. I miss juices and I can't stand adding those crystal light flavors to my water because of the after taste I get from them. I know he wasn't trying to be cruel, but after this visit, I just felt so defeated. I had to fight my own thoughts. I kept thinking about going out and buying the most unhealthy, greasy, fattening thing I could from a fast food restaurant on the way home, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Of course, the one thing I have always had my entire life is wheel power of not eating what I know I shouldn't be eating, so I didn't stop. I just went straight home and started working again. I'm just really worried that the weight won't come off.

Source: Any March Sleevers?
 
Didn't want to retype the above and saw I could blog it from the message. I truly am feeling pretty good. Scale was down three lbs this morning. I know that being on a total liquid diet that I am bound to lose a lot in this two weeks. The end result is what I am anxious for. I have been working out to make the surgery easier too. I am up to 30 minutes on the treadmill working toward 45 minutes before surgery. Who knows, maybe I will be running a bit by then. Since I am older I know that my skin is not going to spring back so I have to do what I can to help it along so it won't be so dang bad.
 
Every day I smile I little bigger. I know this is going to be an awesome adventure and I can't wait for March 7th to get here.
 
Upward and downward. :-)

I was truly surprised to see the calorie difference between 4oz. of 93% hamburger and 85% hamburger. Almost 110 calories per 4oz.!
 
Even though the 93% costs about $1 per lb more, I've noticed that, after cooking, the amount of cooked hamburger is almost the same between the two. There's so much shrinkage, that they are pretty much the same in cost in the end. So I think I'll spend the extra dollar per pound and save 110 calories.
 
 
 
I thought it might be enlightening to grab some common calorie counts for ground beef, chicken and turkey and compare them side-by-side.
 
Click on the pics to enlarge them.
 



 
 
Standard Disclaimer: This is by no means the definitive numbers for these products. The numbers vary depending on the manufacturer. These numbers are presented to make you aware of the differences in calorie counts and fat content.
 
You can find much more specific details by manufacturer or by food group by searching this database:
http://caloriecount....oods&searchpro=
 
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Let the countdown begin. Weighed in at 305 or less 2 days in a row - so it's official, 305 lbs. (I don't officially call it until I've been at a weight for at least 2 days!). Weighed in at 304.8 this morning, 305.8 at 5pm., let's see if it happens two days in a row again!
 
Just a matter of days until I'm below 300 lbs - 1st time I'll be that low in almost 4 years. Hard to believe I'm losing weight. Been too many years hoping the dream would come true, and this actually happening to me are too difficult to accept as real. I keep thinking I might be in a dream or I'm being punked. I'll wake up and POOF, I'm still in my old body.
 
The thoughts of it not being real and being disappointed again keep crowding in. Don't know when I'll let myself accept the reality of being at a lower weight. Oh well, I'll just keep drifting down the river Denial. Maybe I can deny myself right into 190 lbs. :-P

They say the journey of a thousand miles begins with 1 step. What they don't tell you is that the journey is a b*tch if you're on step 1!
 
1/14/2015
Well it's been a few months since I last walked. November to be exact. With the cold weather and injuries and sinus drainage, I was pretty much out of commission. We were at it hard during September and October, hitting new highs on speed, sometimes going as fast as 3.9 mph for 3 miles.
 
But November, my partner hurt his ankle and was out for 3 weeks, then I got terrible sinus headaches from breathing the smoke from neighbors burning piles of leaves and then the cold rain set in. So here it is, the middle of January and we haven't walked a mile per day. Fortunately, I've actually lost weight in that time and kept it off. My new job keeps me moving quite a bit.
 
8/26/2014
Wish there was more the report, but it's still HOT in Texas. Most days the temp is around 91 with a heat index of 101 when I walk. I've had to start wearing a water soaked towel around my neck and a hat while I walk to complete 3 miles. I've come close to heat exhaustion a few times and had to head over to the water faucet and soak my head till the dizziness clears. I thought I'd have built up a tolerance to the heat by now, but doesn't seem like that is going to happen. Good news is, the worst of the heat is over, once we hit September temps will slooooooowly creep down to the low 90's every evening. And by October, we'll be back in the 80's. I can't wait to see how fast I can do 4 miles when the temps are down in the 80's. Hopefully, I'll break the 15 minute mile. :-)
 
7/30/2014
I know I keep saying this, but OMG!!! IT'S HOT IN TEXAS! The good news is that today was a cloudy day and I managed 4.25 miles @ 3.6 mph. I should be up and above 4 mph by the time cool weather rolls in during October.
 
The heat is still in the 94 - 95 degree range with a heat index of 101 - 104. And as Madge said on the Palmolive dish-washing detergent, "You're soaking in it." :-P I'm still walking 5 days a week and hugging every inch of shade I can find! But I had to cut back to 3 miles, down from 4. I was just getting too dizzy and sick - even with using a water soaked towel to keep cool and carrying a water bottle. Monday, I had to stop at 2.5 miles and go soak my head under a water faucet. I hit a point and knew I had better get cooled off or something bad was about to happen.
 


 
7/24/2014
OMG!!! IT'S HOT IN TEXAS!
For the past week it's been between 91 and 94 degrees with a heat index of 101 - 104... during the evenings... when I'm walking! I've had to begin carrying a wet towel and carry a water bottle to prevent dehydration and heat exhaustion. But aside from that, I've managed to walk between 3 and 4 miles in about an hour, averaging 3.5 - 3.7 mph. And haven't missed a day this week. But you gotta believe it when I say I was looking for ANY excuse to skip walking after work. But alas, the weather has been clear during the evenings and all the rain has managed to miss my exercise hour. I wonder how much it would cost me to have a crop duster fly up and seed some clouds just around the time I supposed to start walking????
 
7/04/2014
Another 3 miles (including 1 mile in total of jogging in short stretches) in the record book. It still amazes me when I think back to just 18 months ago when I would go to bed wondering how much it would hurt to walk from the car to my desk at work.
 
The Texas heat is a monster and I was really dreading walking (I mean baking) in 94 degree heat with a heat index of 101. That was yesterday! But I got rained out at the last minute. :-) ****Does happy dance**** I know, I know, I should be like those workout gurus and tell you how much I missed not going out there and sweating my ass off. But I gotta be honest and say I will take any "HONEST" excuse to duck out on walking in this heat. When I say "HONEST EXCUSE" I mean just that.... a real, "believable", reason (rain, when my car had a flat 2 weeks ago, or I feel like I've been pushing myself to the point of injury or sickness). Skipping a walk just because I don't feel like it is not enough.
 
So this morning the I had planned to walk with a friend at Claiborne Park just north of Vidor, TX. We normally do 3.25 miles and I've been increasing the distance I've been jogging. But the radar shows rain headed right for us in the next hour or so. So we cancelled it.
 
Instead I ran around my neighborhood. One lap around my block is approx. 1/2 mile. 2 long sides and 2 short sides. In 70 degree weather, I managed to run 12 of the short sides for a total of 1 miles....And the amazing part was I could have done more! So we'll see how much more tomorrow when I'm back out at Claiborne.

 
 
6/29/2014
Can't believe how well my attempts to jog are working out. Averaged 3.5 mph for 3.25 miles today. I walk a figure 8 style track and managed to jog the 4 straightaways all three laps. My next goal is to jog 1 mile non-stop. Shooting to reach that goal by the end of July. If the heat gets to be too much for me, my fall back plan is to go back to wearing the 30 lb weight vest and speed walk the trails.
 
6/19/2014
Another 3.25 miles down. Speed is still slow at 3.1 mph. Temp 91 degrees. Managed to make the whole circuit on 13 swallows of water. It's a pain to have to carry a water bottle on the trail, but it beats getting heat stroke!
 
It's been tough getting used to the Texas heat. The heat's really been kicked up a notch since the end of May. I thought it was bad when the temps were in the high 80's. Oh how I long for those days. My walking partner calls me the shade hunter. He's much more tolerant of the heat. He can walk in full sun for the whole 3.25 miles, while I zigzag on the trail - going from one patch of shade to the next. I think I may actually be walking farther than him, but he carries the GPS, so I have to go by his distance and time. Doesn't matter to me though, just completing the whole trail every day is a win.
 
06/18/2014
Man is it hot! The Texas Summer heat is just getting its stride and things are baking in the park. I'm up to 3.25 miles each day/ 3.1 mph while wearing a 30 lb vest. Fastest speed without the vest was 3.6 mph for 3.25 miles. Thinking it might be time to try the couch to 5k plan. Not really sure all this effort is worth the results. It's a vicious cycle - the more I get in shape the farther/faster I have to walk to burn the same amount of calories.
 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10/02/2013
Hit a new personal best time at the park. 3.2 miles an hour, did 3 point something miles in about 53 minutes or something close to that, I've forgotten the exact time. :-) But at least I'm getting better, both in distance and being able to recover enough to walk at the same intensity day after day. It seems like only yesterday (actually it was Jan 2nd) that I started my walking program by taking the long way around the office to the bathroom. :-P Just goes to show that taking small steps can add up to bigger things later on.
 
7/11/2013
Well, I lost Gilligan, my pedometer. I named him Gilligan cause he was my "little buddy". Not sure where he ran off to. I left the house with him on my hip and at the end of the day, he was gone.

 
So now I have Gilligan the 2nd or Gilligan the Next Generation, depending on your point of view. Gilligan II is a little smarter, so hopefully he won't get lost. He keeps track not only of my steps and mileage, but takes into account my weight, lists calories burned, total steps, aerobic steps (meaning any walking continuously for 10 minutes or more) and tells me how long I've been aerobically walking . And he remembers everything from the past 6 days.

 
The good news is that I've graduated to a 2 mile trail in a local park. It has lots of ups and downs - and the occasional rabbit/armadillo/snake/Pimp butterfly on the trail to keep things entertaining. And I'm able to make the walk 6 to 7 days a week.
 
My 1st goal was to be able to complete the 2 miles every day 6 to 7 days a week. I have reached that goal as of July.
 
The next goal is to start increasing my speed. See if I can break the 45 minute mark for completing the trail. Current best speed is 46 minutes.
 
 
5/17/2013
Finally! Made over 10k steps a day for 6 days in a row. My original goal was to do it for 5 days in a row. Plus as an added NSV, I have graduated from walking on flat, level surfaces to walking in a parking garage. I do the 1st 5k steps in the morning on level ground, but at lunch, I step it up (no pun intended) by going out to a 3 story parking garage. Having to walk up those inclines between floors add a whole new level to the phrase "pain in the butt!" :-P
 
I was walking next to a coworker yesterday and she said, "I smell smoke." I said, "That's me. I'm not just hot, I'm SMOKIN!"
 
For those out there that have feet and knee pain like me, it pays to move, no matter how little. That's how I started out 5 months ago.
 
I could barely walk from the parking lot to the store without limping and being in a lot of pain. But I always parked at the far end of the lot and minced my way into the store. And I set a goal to walk the inside perimeter of my office every time I went to the bathroom or had to leave my desk. That was 4 to 10 laps a day.
 
When we move to a bigger office in Feb. I set a goal to make 4 laps a day around the office (approximately 1200 steps plus the 500 steps from the parking lot to my desk got me up to about 1700 steps a day).
 
When I got to the point where I could tolerate the 4 laps with no lasting pain, I added 4 laps at lunch. Then 5 in the morning and 5 at lunch till I could do 10 each time. That took several months to accomplish and I usually only could do that at most 3 days a week and be in pain for the other 2 days.
 
Now 10 laps twice a day is too easy, so I changed to going into the parking garage at lunch. The inclined ramps are easy on my ankles and ups my aerobic activity. Plus it gets me out in the sun - gotta have my Vitamin D!
 
That's how I did it. Little changes add up. Now I've got 2 ladies a work who SAY they want to start walking with me - but so far it's only been talk. :-)
 

This is from today, 5/17/2013. It's gonna break my heart to reset it in the morning!
 
 
2/19/2013
Just checked my pedometer when I got home and finally crossed the 10k steps goal or 4.5 miles in 1 day.
 
I usually on get in around 2.5 to 3 miles a day, but today I had a lot of extra walking at work and for the 2nd day this week I've been able to walk additional laps around the building at lunch.
 
Hopefully my feet and hips will allow me to maintain or surpass 10k a day from now on.
 
Update:3/28/2013
Still managing to get closer to my goal of 5 miles/day, 7 days a week. I'm averaging 4.5 miles/day 4 days a week. My hips no longer hurt, just some muscle soreness. And my feet are usually only a little painful after walking but the pain is almost gone the next day.
 
The people at work are starting to take notice of my walking before work and at lunch time. Commenting on my weight loss, that may sound encouraging, but I'd rather stay unnoticed and unremarked on. Noticing my weight loss and exercising will only lead to questions - ones I'd rather not answer.
 
I've had one or two people comment on how much they need to start walking with me, almost daily, but they never seem to find the time to do even one lap around the floor with me. I never made those type of comments when I'd see people working out, cause I knew that I wasn't going to make the effort. So why try to fool them and me? If I did, it would feel like I was apologizing for being fat and feeling guilty for not exercising.
 
I didn't feel like any kind of exercise plan was going to do me any good. I was too far gone. As Ralphie May said, "This is way past a diet coke fix."
 
 
3/4/2013
I'm still walking 3 - 4 miles per day, 5 days a week, but getting past 10k steps a day is tough. My feet and hips are pretty sore the day after doing that many steps and it limits me reaching 10k more than 2 or 3 times a week. But I keep working at it. As long as I'm walking every day, I'm getting closer to my goal.

Update: 4-26-3013:
It's still amazing to see what and how much comes out of me, considering how little I am eating. Most of the time, it feels like I am passing jagged rocks and it comes out looking like a pile of marbles. Then there are times like today, where this monstrous poo python emerges. And I'm thinking, "Where the hell did that come from? I just pooped yesterday and I haven't changed my eating habits or eaten extra food."
 
Is there some storage area in the intestines I don't know about? Are my guts becoming some kind of Dooms Day Prepper? Some kind of "just in case we need it" secret poo stash?
 
Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?
 

 
 
 
I was visited by the infamous 3rd week stall. I didn't lose any more weight for about 5 days. Hit a 2nd wall on week 5, same thing. It takes me 4 - 6 days to start losing again. It helps speed up the process when I walk a little more than normal.
 
But I've learned that part of the stall is tied to bowel movements. Post-Op, I only go every other day or every 3rd day depending on how much fiber/carbs I take in.
 
You might want to consider how much waste your body is holding onto. My bathroom visits aren't steady at this point, sometimes I'll go twice on the same day. I'll be thinking, "Where the hell did that come from? I know I haven't eaten that much!"
 
Sometimes I'll be over a pound lighter after a monster poop! My record is 2 lbs.

Today was my 3 week post op appointment. I am doing incredibily well, all incisions are healing nicely, no side effects, no problems. I can drink all the liquid I need to, and am getting all my protein. I have been cleared to slowly and carefully start adding in other foods. And best of all I have lost 19 lbs since surgery and 43 total since I started the pre-op diet. 43!!! That is only 7 lbs less than I lost the entire 2 years I had the lap band.
 
For anyone who is trying to decide between the lap band and the sleeve, or anyone considering converting from the lap band to the sleeve. I cannot say strongly enough...Go For The Sleeve!!! The difference is night and day. With the band I could eat very little, but I was always hungry (still had my whole stomach) with the sleeve, I can eat very little and I can honestly say I am full. For example at lunch today I had 4 oz of cottage cheese and 2 oz of imitation crab, and I couldn't finish it. Not only oould I physically not finish it, but I was honestly full! Whoot Whoot!!! Before the sleeve, I told my husband I never felt full until I was stuffed (which might explain my obesity
 
I am so glad I did this!!! My husband says I'm melting before his eyes!
 
 
Heaviest Weight: 281
3/6/13 Surgery: 257 (-24)
3/13/13: 251 (-6)
3/20/13: 245 (-6)
3/28/13: 238 (-7)
 

Well I made it through both weeks of liquids and got to move on to soft foods. But the added wrinkle to my week is that I am traveling from CA to CO for my sisters wedding. So I am not in my home environment. My sister was very helpful and had my protein drinks, yogurt and cottage cheese at her house when I got here so that has helped.
 
So far I am doing fine with soft foods. However, I have discovered that I am sensitive to sugars. I have had two bouts of diahrrea, both of which came after I had a bit too much sugar. (One I had blended some peanut butter into a shake, and the second one was just eating a normal yogurt) So neither time was I over doing it, but I have decided that I am really watching the sugar content in anything I eat. It has been a challenge to be with my whole family, and not be eating. I haven't really had an issue with it, I'm not hungry and I just eat what I can. But I think other people get nervous if I don't eat. But so far, I've been doing good. My other challenge is to drink my water. We spent the past 2 days running around, setting up for the wedding, the wedding itself, and then running around cleaning up. I have been really really tired and I noticed that the creases in my skin are staying much longer than they should (like creases on my shin from tucking my jeans into my boots stayed there for over 8 hours)...so I'm a little dehydrated. But I'm going better today and just hauling my water bottle around with me.
 
My weigh day was Wednesday and I did weigh just before I got on the plane. I did win the bet with my husband ...he thought I would lose close to 20# between surgery and our trip (2 weeks) I didn't think I'd lose that quick. I was right, but I still feel good about what I have lost.
 
Heaviest Weight: 281
3/6/13 Surgery: 257 (-24)
3/13/13: 251 (-6)
3/20/13: 245 (-6)
 
I will be flying home on Wednesday so I'll have to weigh on Thursday after I'm back at home with my own scale!!

So today is officially my 1 week. Have to say at least for me the first week went relatively smoothly. I don't have any pain at all most of the time. If I twist wrong or bend wrong I do have a spot right under my biggest incision that pulls, but it's just a quick pain that subsides almost immediately. The PA warned me that is might happened because there are some deep internal stitches under there.
 
I do have a pretty knarly rash on my tummy due to an allergic reaction to the dermabond. Yesterday, I lost it and just peeled off all the dermabond. The incisions themselves look good, but all the way around each incision is a red blistered ring, and I have little dots between the incisions. Just taking the dermabond off made a difference, yesterday morning they were all bright red and itched so bad I wanted to pull my stomach apart. Today, the red is still there but not nearly as angry and it itching has subsided some. Still itches, but I'm hoping thats from healing. I have been alternating between Hydrocortisone cream for the rash and neosporin. I'm sorta a gooey mess right now, but that's ok. (My hubby says I'm a hot mess, but I'm his hot mess) :wub:
 
I am still on liquids and will be for another week I'm not really hungry, well at least not like I used to be. I definitely get an empty feeling every couple of hours but it's a much different feeling that before. Drinking alot of hot tea, and water. Soups, Sugar free jello and sugar fee popcicles! Oh and protein drinks. I am using Premier Protein that I got at Costco with 30 grams of protein so I try to get 2 a day, so at least I know I've got my protein covered.
 
I have decided to "officially" weigh on every Wednesday, and I will take updated pictures once a month. So here are my current stats
 
Heaviest Weight: 281
3/6/13 Surgery: 257 (-24)
3/13/13: 251 (-6)
 
So 6 lbs in the first week! I'm ok with that.
 
Now, if I can just get through another week of liquids....

I've been feeling really good about my progress lately, not just the weight loss, but also my physical abilities and what i can now accomplish. I had taken the day off from work yesterday and decided to reward myself. I went to the movies and saw GI Joe 2. I know I shouldn't have bought the popcorn, but I did and just got the smallest size. The sales girl tried to get me to buy the size bigger (she was just doing her job) and although I would have loved it, I refused because I knew I couldn't eat that much and didn't want to take it home with me only to finish it off later. Then she asked the bigger question, do you want butter on that? I said yes (even though I know how bad it is), but I didn't ask her to put some in the middle as I would have before surgery. Ohhhhh....how yummy it was. Half way through the movie and I had only eaten half the bag. I put it down to stop myself from getting sick. I later picked it back up and ate a little more. I had to put it back down again because it was making me feel sick. The movie was almost over and I had the urge to use the bathroom. So glad I was able to finish the movie before rushing out, although I could have waited for this movie to come out on DVD. Not worth the money, even though I did see it in 3D.
 
On my way home, I decided that I was going to make this a "cheat" day for myself. I stopped at my favorite Teriyaki place and got some spicy chicken teriyaki. I also stopped at the local produce stand and got some fruits for the week and vegitables for the soup I planned to make for the weekend. By the time I got home, I was hungry, so I started eating some of the chicken. I didn't touch the rice because I know I shouldn't be eating it, even though this is my cheat day. I probably ate about 4 or 5 pieces of the chicken and had to stop. That chicken ended up being 3 meals for me. Yes, I did eat it again for dinner and the rest of it this morning for breakfast.
 
So, what I'm finding that even though I want to try to eat some of the things that I used to before surgery, I'm still applying some of the teachings my nutritionist taught me, by habit and not from guilt of what I'm eating. I also weighed myself this morning and I'm down 3 pounds, which made me not feel so bad about eating things that aren't so good for me yesterday. I did realize that even though the popcorn tasted amazing, I probably will try it without the butter next time I go to the movies (I don't do it very often). I also realized that the teriyaki that I used to love doesn't taste as good now. Lastly, I know that it's okay to treat myself once in a while and knowing that I still can apply what I've learned to my choices, I still can do it without feeling guilty providing that it's on a rare occasion.
 
Today, I am back on my schedule of making good choices (minus the teriyaki breakfast). By the way, I did eat my normal breakfast for lunch. I'm feeling good, possitive and happy and can't wait to see/feel the changes that will happen through out the next year. =)

Looked back over my blogs and I realized I blogged about the day we went to the Third Day Concert (almost a year ago) and the shirt I wanted to wear didn't fit. Fast forward to today and I am wearing that shirt..the one that didn't fit!!!
 
Hopefully the picture will attach. The pic on the left was last year and it's a picture of the Concert picture...but you get the idea. The one on the right is today. Not a before and after, but definitely a before and during!!

I think this is as good a place as any to start writing down the NSV as I notice them. I am only 3 weeks out and I have already noticed a few.
 
1. I flew to my sisters wedding in CO and I was perfectly comfortable in the plane seat. I have never really needed a seat belt extender but I have definitely been very uncomfortable in the seat with the seatbelt tight around me. This time I had some play in the seat belt and could comfortably sit for the whole trip not feeling like I was packed into the seat.
 
2. At my sisters wedding I danced! My uncle told me it was the first time he had seen me letting go and having fun in the 20 years he's known me. Now whether that's from the weight loss or my new hubby of 2 years, who knows? Doesn't really matter...what matters is I danced!!
 
3. Apparently I have totally stopped snoring! I meantioned to my husband that I will probably stop snoring and he said, "Oh you haven't snored the past few nights." I guess he didn't realize he was supposed to alert me to this stuff...LOL
 
4. On Thursday I went to my doctor appt and while we were sitting there waiting I looked down and realized I had sat down and crossed my legs....Like REALLY crossed my legs like a lady!! And I didn't even realize it!
 
That's all I've noticed so far, but I'm really trying to pay attention since I think some of the NSV just slip past unnoticed. But I know when I hit those stall weeks that I will need to be able to look back and see all the things that have nothing to do with the scale.

Hi....I just wanted to share. I went shopping yesterday and for the first time in YEARS, I was able to walk into most any store and try things on and......shop! For a long time now I have gone with friends and family shopping and found it pretty boring or I would just be helping them pick things out....reason??? Nothing would fit me in the stores that they shopped in. This may turn me into a shopping monster....it was soooooo much fun! I now have a few pairs of pants from Ann Taylor and a few tops from The Loft. Just had to share this exciting new adventure.....thanks for listening.

How To explain away my scars?
 
OK, this is awful so don't read if you are easily offended and do not appreciate a sick sense of humor.
 
 
 
 
Warning! Don't read if you are easily offended!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Last Warning! Sick Humor below!!!!!
 
 
 
 
Shanked in prison... Shuts them up every time! - VSGKirk
 
Some idiot: What happened?
You: I had abdominal surgery.
Idiot: What kind?
You: The kind that involves the abdominal area. - newat52
 
Tijuana knife fight. - Kristina J.
 
I had some "woman issues " - chell1978
 
Texas mosquito bites
 
I was knifed by an exotic dancer in TJ.
 
Full contact scrapbooking injury...
When you get the weird look, you can fill in that scrapbooking is getting really intense now that scrappers are trying to make the hobby "athletic enough" for the Olympics.
 
Bears. But never mind my scar, you should check out my awesome new rug!
 
My wife said somtimes I don't know my place.
 
Tell them you are trying to avenge your father and ask if they have six fingers on their right hand.
 
Two words, "Satin sheets"
 
I don't want to go into details, but suffice to say, I won't be allowed in that Benihana for a while.
 
The first rule of Fight Club is 'don't talk about Fight Club'
 
They say you can't get blood from a stone - well, the IRS tried!
 
Remember when your mom told you not to run with scissors?
 
I was watching the DIY network and they did a show on bodylifts...
 
A zombie tried to eat my brains and missed.
 
Tell them as much as you'd love to talk about it you just can't because your defense attorney and parole officer advised you to keep your mouth shut until after the trial.
 
I got this in a bar fight when I used to ride with Hells Angels.
 
That's where the aliens probed me
 
Don't worry about it. Because of me, they now have a to put on warning labels!
 
Well, let me just tell you this: You should NEVER EVER, under ANY circumstances, go out with a guy/girl that you met on the internet.
 
"I was oyster hunting." They give me a blank stare. Then I say, with a wink, "You've obviously never been oyster hunting before."
 
I was at this party with Marilyn Manson and everyone was giving out hugs.
 
I lost a fight with a can of tuna fish.
 
I slipped while making a salad.
 
I fell asleep, and the clown got me.
 
I'll just put it this way: when they tell you not to feed the bears, it's for a damned good reason.
 
I'm a blade sharpness tester
 
"I had an accident with a scalpel." [person asks why] "Well, you know that guy who woke up in an ice bath and his kidney was gone? Er... this had nothing to do with it. Honest."
 
You know how dogs chase their tails? Well it has nothing to do with that. Nor does it have anything to do with cat scratches. Or the faeries that visit me nightly *ramble on*... What was I talking about?
 
I thought those security tags on pants just sprayed ink, but apparently they spray shards of broken glass, too.
 
"Oh, these?" *embarrassed face* "I know they look horrible, but the sex was INCREDIBLE!"
 
"...Are you consipring aginast me? What's with all the questions? Who wants to know the answers?" *and upon interrupting "I'm doing the talking here" and then continue to ramble until they back away. "...They'll come and get you too. Run while you still can"
 
Knifed by an exotic dancer. Terrible. Yes, they're nasty that way.
 
I had unprotected sex with a porcupine.
 
I took my lizards for a walk and they held on for dear life.
 
The neighborhood cat and I had a disagreement about the paw prints on my truck.
 
The police didn't comply with the terrorists' demands fast enough, so they took it out on us hostages.
 
I keep falling off of cliffs trying to catch that damned roadrunner.
 
The voices told me to do it.
 
I did this as a sacramental offering to my dark lord, you prick. ::Smile::
 
In my past life I was a ninja.
 
It sucks having parents who are sadists.
 
My boyfriend and I accidentally went overboard during our last S & M session.
 
I moon light as a stunt-woman who dives through glass windows.
 
Look at your scars and frown You mean you don’t have any?
 
Well, last time it was an alien baby. I’m actually kind of relieved.
 
I had a narrow escape from a firing squad.
 
Now that is an interesting question; it all ties in with the eternal enigma: why are we here, for what purpose does life on earth exist? go on about the meaning of life until everyone gets bored and goes away
 
Carving a turkey is harder than it looks
 
You want me to show you? smile evily
 
Don’t EVER give blood abroad!
 
Well, I tend to get a little violent with the computer when it doesn’t cooperate.
 
Oh those? Bad juggling accident. I don’t like to talk about it. I’m much better now
 
Oh these? Hmm, I dunno, they’ve just always been there. Well, I mean, ever since I took over this body, anyway. Strange, don’t you think?
 
Ozzy Osborne is my uncle and we have some kick butt family reunions!
 
Those psychology experiments are soooo not worth the extra credit…
 
Oh my god! Never, EVER try taking candy from a baby!
 
A reminder of my Pirating days....
 
My trained attack dragon did before I got him trained...
 
I had a duel.
 
Did you know chickens aren't all soft and fluffy?
 
Playing Slug Bug with a cat is a reaaally bad idea.
 
Oh this? *point at scar* That's where my twin used to be attached.
 
Lightsaber battle
 
I kicked Chuck Norris' ass all I got was this lousy scar!
 
Tell them you had to help Jack Bauer escape from the Russians and that's the last time you'll cover his pansy ass.
 
Narrowly escaped a zombie attack
 
Fell on the runway-it's Fashion Week
 
Rachel Ray's dog attacked me.
 
I just tell people it's a "sex wound."
 
My husband is ... just ... a WILD MAN, what can I say?
 
 
 
 
 
 
That's all folks!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Really, that's all there is.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
No hablo the english? There isn't anymore. Stop scrolling!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ok, okay, one last one.
 
It's where the alien burst out. What, you think they only come out of chests?
 
 
 
 
Satisfied!??????????

http://youtu.be/G_9Scjft1NE

Blog Post 2: The bariatric psychological visit for my Gastric Sleeve. Or what I remember of it.
 
http://youtu.be/-vm3fe9R3gk

How I came to the decision to have weight loss surgery. My first video blog post.
 

http://youtu.be/X3SJj5lrSIM

Well I think I may have turned the corner on feeling better. I took a long nap this afternoon and woke up feeling more like myself. I also stopped the pain meds today. As far as the surgery went I can't say it was a piece of cake or I was up and going the next day but it definitely wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I was afraid of being sick to my stomach and vomiting but had no issues in that regard. I have mostly been tired and had pain with my largest incision. I can't tell if the pain is from just the incision or from inside where the staples are located .Tomorrow I have an appointment with my surgeon and my nutritionist. I am looking forward to seeing how much weight I have lost. I am missing food and eating and will be glad when i can add a few more things to my diet. I think the next stage is called the pureed diet and includes eggs, mashed potato, beans, soft fruits and veggies that are blended.
 
My husband has a job tomorrow so my friend is taking me to the hospital, so glad I don't have to go alone. I will Post my weight loss tomorrow!

This week I'll have my first consultation with my weight loss surgeon, Dr. Wes Turton. Like most of us, I've struggled with weight for most of my life. The older I get it seems the faster the weight comes on, probably due to the fact that I'm exercising less and less. When I hit menopause, the gains seemed to go into overdrive. I don't recognize myself.
 
I haven't always been morbidly obese. In fact, I was in the Army and most of the time I was within body fat limits. I was never able to meet the limits just by weight only, but always had to do the "Pinch Test" with calipers. In my minds eye, I still weigh around 150, and although I'm around 235 now at 5'4" tall, I still see myself as not that fat.
 
I feel guilty about the fact that I can't lose this weight on my own. I've tried Nutrasystem, Weight Watchers, Adkins, and even used medically supervised prescriptions such as pentermine and Ionamine. All the results were short lived, and I quickly put back on the weight plus more. Still, I feel that weight loss surgery must be for people much heavier than me. Of course, that doesn't make sense at all.
 
At this point, I look forward to getting this "tool" to help me with my weight loss. Even though I feel embarrassed at having to resort to this, I need to do it for my health. I'm pre-diabetic, have high cholesterol, low thyroid, and my knees are giving out. Diabetes runs heavily in my family and it is only a matter of time before I develop this devastating disease.
 
Wish me luck...I'm just getting started!

http://youtu.be/Io2YpiQ8zcM

It has been quite awhile since I checked in here. About three weeks after my WLS I started a bout of cluster headaches. I had not had cluster headaches for 18 years and not sure why they started up again. I did some research and my two best guesses are that the weight loss released a large amount of hormones stored in the fat the somehow triggered the headaches or they were caused by using morphine in the hospital. Cluster headaches are headaches that hit in a cluster, mine were hitting about four to five time a day and they are extremely painful, The nickname for cluster headaches is suicide headaches. Anyway i worked with my doctor and used different medications and Oxygen therapy and now they are much better but the strange thing was that during the whole headache ordeal I did not lose any weight. I was not eating much at all and trying to stay on my program although was not exercising at all. Now I feel like I am so far behind were I should be and were everyone else is, I know I shouldn't compare myself to others but s is hard not to. I even stayed away from VST because I was feeling like such a failure. I have lost a couple more pounds since the headaches lessened so trying to take that as a positive sign. Now if I can start exercising I can make up some lost ground.

Tonight hubby and I attended the mandatory seminar. I'm finally going to go through with this. My meeting with the surgeon is January 23rd. Now to figure out what I can do about insurance. I have BC/BS Maryland and they want me BMI to be 50. I'm at 45 so I'm hoping to switch. Maybe pick up a second insurance or switch when we have open enrollment at work! We'll see

Made a delicious smoothie tonight for a snack, and I didn't use any protein powder (GAG)
 
It tastes like a buckeye! HAHA for those of you who dont know what that is, it's like a reeses cup only shaped like a buckeye nut.
 
Makes two 2/3 cup servings:
 
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt (I use trader joe's brand b/c it has the lowest sugar content that ive seen)
1/2 cup skim milk
1/3 cup sugar free chocolate pudding (made ahead of time with skim milk)
1 TBSP of PB2 (PB2 is a peanut butter powder sold in the organic or health food aisle, it's awesome!!!)
 
Each 2/3 cup serving has 10.5 g of protein!