TES

I start my 2 week liquid pre-op diet on Thursday. I'm going to sort of ease myself into the liquid diet starting today. I had a strawberry body fortress shake instead of eggs and meatless sausage for breakfast. (I made mine with unsweetened almond milk and a splash of vanilla creamer - the creamer makes it SO MUCH BETTER), I'm having yogurt and maybe a cheese stick for lunch. And I have some Gardein Turk'y that I'll have for dinner with some asparagus. Then a shake if I'm hungry later.
 
Since I started my journey, I have been focused on what I had to do to get approved for surgery, not what I had to do to get prepared for surgery. Some of these things go hand in hand - like changing your eating habits, losing a bit of weight, increasing exercise - but I have definitely not focused much on the emotional journey I'm about to go on. I've been more focused on the physical journey and the financial one.
 
As a result, I had the tiniest of meltdowns at Walmart last night. I was doing "post op prep shopping" and it was like everything I picked up led me to unpleasant thoughts about what I'll be dealing with in just a matter of weeks. It started when I was at home and went online to make purchases from various sites for vitamins, supplements, protein powders, storage containers, etc. I mean, I spent nearly $200 right there simply because I'm definitely a sucker for "buy more, save more" specials. Even though I had a pretty long list going into the store, something about seeing these things pile up was just... overwhelming for about 22 seconds. I spend a good 45 minutes in the "Health" area - picking out gauze, tape, bandaids, ointment, lotions and a lot of other things like Milk of Magnesia, liquid Imodium, fiber gummies, Gas-X strips... just so much stuff. Just in case kinda stuff that I've seen over and over again in these forums that people need. And it's taking me a long time to get these things because I don't use any of these things now. I have a first aid kit that barely gets used... I don't currently get constipated, I don't get gassy, I don't get reflux, I don't get diarrhea... but I'm about to do something to myself, VOLUNTARILY, that will probably give me all of this and more, in combination with each other.
 
And yet, I read over and over that people suffer through this and don't regret a single thing because it got them to where they want to be.
 
So all of this went racing through my mind as I was in front of the fiber supplements (the last thing on my list for that section, the top shelf of the cart overflowing with all this stuff). No one was really around, so I sort of let myself go, for just a few seconds. I let out a deep breath and about 4 tears popped out of my eyes and I was done. I took another deep breath, wiped my tears, and picked out some fiber gummies.
 
Did I come this far to back out? No.
Do I want to stay where I'm at instead of having surgery? No.
 
So I'm ready to face the emotions. This pre-op fear? Well, I'm as prepared as I can be. There's actually a lot of comfort in that. Expect the best, fear the worst. That fear is making sure I'm darn prepared so I don't have to bother going out and getting what I need when I'm already in trouble!
 
Things are only going to get better... and better...

Hi all...I am almost 5 weeks post op! Wow the time has flown by!
 
Sorry I have not been on here in a while giving an update or posting about something I have kinda been in what some people call a "stall" for the past two weeks. Kinda puts a damper on things. The first week I was really pretty ok with it. I had just lost 40lb in 2 months and was just stoked to start seeing the changes in my body and in my attitude/personality. Then by the 2nd week it just started to get depressing, I even gained 1 pound... I started getting a little mad and was trying to figure out how to amp up my loss again.
 
I had just started adding solid foods back into my diet but I was not getting over 600-700 cal a day. (which I thought was good) I was having a little bit of a hard time with my protein and liquid intake. So I figured that must be the problem. Last Tuesday I had my first WLS support group meeting with my supper awesome friend Tina. By some amazing divine appointment God had them focusing on PROTEIN! She had a ton of samples to try from different products and gave us a bunch of ideas on how to add bits of protein to our diets through out the day. Apparently just about everyone in the group had been struggling with some kind of stall recently and so that was the topic of focus! How perfect for me
 
And because I know how common it is for us new VSG'ers to have a hard time with proper protein levels I thought I would share what I learned, my new favorite products, and a few new ideas on how to use protein.
 
First, my new best friend is "Big Train". I have always loved this brand but had no idea that they had a bariatric friendly line of protein powders. So now I can have my love of coffee and drink it too I do live in Seattle... Its almost against the law to not like coffee over here... lol
Here is the link for the Big Train drinks. I love them! The cool thing is, I can not taste the protein in them at all! I have tried the vanilla and the espresso (both are fantastic) and have just ordered the sampler pac to try the rest before purchasing in bulk...
http://www.bigtrain.com/coffee-protein-drink-mix-powder-fit-frappe-c-143.aspx
 
My 2nd new brand of protein is Chike... I had never heard of this brand till my meeting this week. I tried the coffee flavor and again it was really good! I ordered the sample pac of this brand also. I really like being able to take a little packet of powder with me rather than mixing up a whole days worth at once. I need to find some kind of little container that holds one serving though, because it is so much cheaper to buy the tub rather than the packets... Anyway, here is the link for Chike.
http://www.chikenutrition.com/buy-chike.html
 
Third... I know most of you guys know about Unjury. But recently I have made a few friends who had never heard of it. For all of you newbies out there here is an awesome product! Unjury is said to be one of the best forms of protein. One of the best on the market. Its protein has really good absorption into the body. I have been told some of the cheaper proteins don't benefit the body as well as others. I totally get that, most food now a days dose not benefit the body at all so I am sure they cheat on this kind of stuff also...
Anyway, Unjury makes a "non-flavored" powder that you can put in just about anything from soup to pudding, to drinks. I have been adding it to my Crystal Light or Mio drinks. When you add it to a fruity drink it kinda turns it into a cream cycle taste. Not bad when it is giving you 20+ grams of protein in each scoop... I also put some strawberry lemon-aid into a vanilla powder and it was pretty good too..
http://www.unjury.com/store/protein/
 
I also found this website http://www.bariatricchoice.com/bariatric-protein-shakes-smoothies-drinks-12.html It looks like it has a ton of different high protein options including Nectar (which I have ordered the sample pack but have not tried yet) It might be a cool place to get some extra ideas from.
 
(And by the way I just started loosing weight again! I dropped 1 pound yesterday. I really believe its because I am drinking more and added more protein)
 
So, to give you an idea on how I get my protein and liquids in...
In the morning I start out with either a mixed fruit and veggie shake with a scoop of Unjury in it.
Or, I have a coffee drink with either the Big Train or the Chike. Rite there in that morning drink I have just got 20 grams of protein in...
 
As a snack I will have a cheese stick or cup of Greek yogurt. (6-12 g protein)
 
Then for lunch I make sure to have some kind of meat, eggs or cheese. All of which are low in carbs. (remember we like low carbs
 
During the day I will have a "snack" by putting one scoop of protein powder in with a beverage. There is another 20 grams.
 
For dinner I have been trying to get in some veggies with my meat. So weather I have 1/2 a hamburger patty or a few ounces of fish, I try to get in either salad or another green vegetable.
 
If I work it good like that, I am over 70 grams of protein. Plus the shakes alone have given me about 30 ounces of water so I only have to concentrate on another 30 through out the day.
To tell you the truth, its the liquids I am still having trouble with. It is really hard to drink that much through out the day. But I am trying...
 
I hope I was able to help some of you guys...
I know I was really struggling with ideas on how to get enough every day...
Good luck to you all! And let me know what you think of my ideas. Also, If any of you have some products or mix ideas for me please let me know! I am always looking for something new to try.
 
Later all!!! "HUGS"
Amber

So here I am. I have decided to take a step towards the final frontier of my personal happiness. My health.
 
I have been through a hell of a ride on my journey to today. I have struggled through a dysfunctional marriage to an abusive alcoholic, stood witness to the attack on New York City first hand, narrowly escaped death from sepsis blood poisoning, fought a ten year fertility battle, and buried a friend/lover taken far too young from brain cancer.
 
Life as a human being is hard enough, no wonder I was unable to keep my weight under control – there was too much else to focus on.
 
Today, I am the proud mother of a beautiful two year old boy, I am fulfilled in my 10+ year career with a fantastic company who value my efforts, I own my own home, have a functional car, and am in a relationship with a man whom I have known almost all my life in some capacity… its new… its fresh, but its good. He is kind, and patient and wonderful with my son.
 
The song Good Mother by Jan Arden goes through my head on a daily basis these days – if you don’t know it, check it out on YouTube. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to truly believe that I am finally happy and at peace. There is only one concern left… and that is my weight and my health.
 
I have tried over the years to lose weight and on a couple of occasions have been somewhat successful, most notably loosing 70ish lbs in 2001 on the Dr. Bernstein Diet. But, being predisposed to easily gain, it keeps coming back.
 
Last year I topped my scales (having left my husband 3x in the same year my child was born) at 296! I knew I had to do something and quick.
 
I started an exercise regiment and eating well, and managed to lose 26 lbs in about 4 months. 270 felt pretty good and I started to gain back some confidence in myself and hope for my future.
 
Then suddenly, my guy (who was not my guy at the time) broke up with his girlfriend and landed on my couch!! We were not an item but decided to try and live as roommates until he either found something more permanent or the arrangement was too awkward.
 
Riiiiiiiight. That clearly didn’t and wasn’t going to work. He came with a WHOLE lot of baggage and there were some serious growing pains – the to point where I threw him out of my house in January. That’s what we needed I guess to determine that our friendship (and the stuff that blossomed along with it) was in fact a love neither of us were looking for. But, all that confusion and activity made me put my weight loss on the back burner, yet again.
 
So here I go again, at the start of this year, new diet, new exercise regiment –this is going to be it! I rejoined Weight Watchers (probably for the 18-20th time) and bought myself a treadmill.
 
Starting the year off at 278 I went gang busters being perfectly well behaved with my eating and working out on my treadmill approx 5 times a week at 40 minutes a pop. I was on the move again and dropped to 265.
 
Then suddenly I started suffering from sciatica. So, thinking that the exercise would sort it out, I pushed harder – increasing my efforts to every day and included some workouts on my vibration platform. By the end of February I could no longer sleep or stand for long periods of time without pain.
 
Turns out I have something called Piriformis Syndrome. Apparently what is happening is a muscle that attaches somewhere in my butt and hip is clenching up when I exercise and pinching my sciatic nerve. Are you KIDDING ME?

 
So through acupuncture, deep massage therapy and chiropractic, they are still trying to make the muscle ease up… and I have not been able to work out.
 
I continued my diet plan for a while but then threw my hands in the air out of frustration and so here I am - and back up to 277.8. So much effort to lose it, so easily regained.
 
What I do I know is that I have the will and determination to make this work… all I need is the rewarding results for my efforts. One thing that my fella said to me shortly after we started to cohabitate was, "I dont understand with all that you do, and how you eat, how you weight more than 98 pounds!"
 
That sort of outside review is the justification I needed! :wub:
 
This is a big step... and a bit scary... but I am worth this effort, and there is simply put, nothing I wouldn't do for my boy. He deserves a healthy mommy who will be with him a long long time.
 
Let’s do this thing.
 
 
May 10, 2013. Dr. Rodrigues at Star Medica in Juarez.
 
I’m ready.

10 days ago,while on holiday no less,I stopped smoking.It has been a challenge but I am not going to smoke again.I decided not to stress too much about my eating as I have visitors that eats nothing but junk and carbs.They do not eat any of the food we usually eat.For some reason this made me super self concious and I started cooking rubbish and eating it too.
 
Yesterday I weighed and was up 5 pounds already.This made me realize a couple of things.This is out life and my house.If they dont like the food we usually eat,let them either cook for themselves or go get takeouts.My kids have alos gained weight already and my little 12 year old is a gymnast and competition time is coming up.She cannot afford to gain weight now.
 
So I started cooking healthy foods again and I am down 2 pounds already.Avoiding the carbs just a little and sugar completely.Sugar is not my friend..lol.
 
The health issues are still there but as soon as the visitors are gone I will see the phycisian again.My hands and feet are a little better but I still have a lot of pain.The bruising comes and goes and the back and neck ache seems to be under control.
 
Life is good.I have decided to tackle issues as they come up and not regret anything about having the sleeve.I LIKE BEING THINNER THAN EVERYONE ELSE.it makes me feel great and I will keep it this way.No matter what.
 
We stayed at a stunning resort last week.There were these "toys" (a trampoline a bananna slide ect ect) in the sea.Usually I couldnt get on these things and would never even attempt to.But with a little ecouragement from the kids I got onto each and everyone of those things and we had a ball of a time.This again made me realize how different life is now.
 
Of course the fact that I fit into a size 10 (UK) freaked me out completely..lol.The size 36B bra is totally crazy as well.
 
So,this is me for now.Enjoying life,trying to find the balance with the food and just getting use to the new normal I now live.

It will be two weeks tomorrow since I had my surgery. I am amazed at the changes that have taken place. In fact, I want to do the Snoopy dance because I am so grateful. As if this am, I weigh 204lbs unofficially. So, when I began four weeks ago I weighed 227lbs. I had two weeks of the Pre-Op diet and weighed 217. One week after surgery, while on the full liquid diet I weighed 211 pounds. Hopefully, at my two week visit on Tuesday(4 days away) I will be at 200 or (AHHH! Angels singing) One hundred and ninety-nine. Heavy sigh, it's been a few years since I was under 200 lbs. I believe it was 2005ish. I feel like I am getting my body back and I can move without being out of breath, slow and heavy or in pain. It's amazing!

I've been horrible about blogging-- can I say that first? When I started this process I thought there would be nothing I'd rather do than write about my experiences before and after weight loss surgery. Well, I still would LIKE to, but life and all of its obligations have continued, so forgive.
But I had to write today. Today, I got under 200 pounds for the first time in. . . I don't know. . . 14 years? That's before I started teaching.
I can't believe how amazing I feel. I've lost 63.4 pounds total, putting me at 196.6 this morning. (I always record my official weight on Fridays.) I knew that I was right about there, but actually having that number pop up on my weigh in this morning was amazing. (My surgery was 12/11/12, btw.)
 
Let's see. . . what else. Protein bars are my friend, eggs are not. Which is too bad because I used to love eggs. I'm averaging about 3 pounds of weight loss a week, and I'm working on my running. Last night I ran the most I EVER have, going about a mile and a half in 20 minutes of continuous jogging. I'm not very fast, but I'm getting stronger. The biggest challenge I've had on that front is that I'm having trouble switching my runs to the outdoors. I'm not as successful, but I'm trying to stay positive. I have a 5k scheduled on 4/20. I don't know if I will run the whole thing, but I should be able to do most of it, hopefully. I just hope my knees cooperate.
 
So that's where I am! What a wonderful day, and I'm looking forward to blowing all kinds of goals right out of the water! My next goal is to get into the 170s by the end of May for my son's graduation. Piece o' cake!

So, I'm excited to announce I'm over my very first stall, as stressful as it was, and am now officially down 26#! I had no pre-op diet, and was sleeved on 2/28. I'm pretty happy to see these kind of results in 5 weeks, way better than I'd been doing before with just the same ol' diet/exercise routine, The weather is also starting to break so I've been able to get out and hit the pavement...I bought myself a pair of expensive shoes I've been eyeing up for literally a year now...I walked my last pair of shoes right to pieces, and felt it was a good way to reward myself for hitting the 25# mark, while giving myself a tool to keep moving forward with the loss I'm pretty excited about it honestly.
That being said- I FEEL a lot better, I'm in a smaller size jeans (Actually 2 sizes smaller from pre-op)...but I still don't SEE it. Today I was out walking with my dogs and my daugher and my own sister drove right past me, after waving and waving she finally turned around and said she didn't even recognize me! It felt great to hear that- but I seriously can't see it in myself...is it that I'm just so mentally warped on my own body image that I can't see the improvement? Is anyone else having this issue? I feel like I look exactly the same, in the mirror, in pictures, etc- I see NO change.....?
 
Am I crazy??? lol

Hey guys
 
I just had to post a little entry about all of my little (or not so little) NSV of the week! (Sorry in advance for all the colors..lol Made me think of being in middle school again. hahaha)
 
So the first thing I noticed this last week was that my rings are getting loose. I have this one ring my sister got for me, and I just love it. It used to fit on my ring finger but I have had to move it to my pointer finger because it was about to fall off the other day... (It used to be tight)
 
Second... I went down a full pant Size!!! Ya know how jeans can vary in size? Well I was in a size 22 when I started and about a week ago I was able to fit into my big 20's... But today I got into my small 20's Oh ya.. And they fit and look good So excited! That is one step closer to being back in the teen digest
 
Third... I can tie my shoes so much easier! I used to have to sit down try to reach for my feet across my huge tummy. Now its no problem
 
Forth... I have noticed that my libido has just launched to a whole new level..lol It seems like every other thought is about sex... ha ha ha...
 
AND!!! to top it off... I have lost 19 inches over my whole body !!!!
 
Yay for me
 
I hope all of you out there are having as much success as I am. I hope your finding the little things that encourage you and push you through each day. Keep your eyes out for the little details that make you smile. Cloths that fit different, The fact that moving is easier, You feel different, You sleep better, your off some meds... etc...
 
 

What are your none scale victories



of the week?



Please share!!!!

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.
 
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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.

HELLO Y'ALL!!! I don't have much to report. Life has been pretty good. Because of my workload, going to the gym has been pretty impossible. Because of that, I am very careful with my food intake. Speaking of food intake, I am able to eat more!! PRETTY SCARY :ph34r: I remember at the beginning, I wanted to eat more. Now that I can, I wish I could go back to the days where two bites was all I needed :wub:
 
 
But life goes on!!!
 
HAPPY MOMENTS:
​No seat belt extender needed ( Flew to NY)
My daughter's friends called my skinny
 
SHAMEFUL MOMENT:
I ate half a bag of cheetos

What a wonderful day. Today is the love of my life birthday. He went to work at 1am and was home at 7. It snowed all day and as of tonight the snow is almost gone. We love living in the mountians as a family. It is amazing that my daughter goes over a hill and goes WEEEEEEEE. I love it. With all my life I have fought for everything I have and now finally the only thing I am fighting is my weight. I have the love of my life and my miracle daughter. And I am working on getting the weight under control. So this year will be an amazing year I know it. I would love to know what protiens you used after surgery and what vitamins would be greatly appreciated.

http://youtu.be/Io2YpiQ8zcM

I am 9 weeks post -op and I am really starting to get excited. I am allowed more food than I am eating right now-- but the scale keeps moving down so I am going to stick with what I am doing. At Christmas I weighed 284. Just before my surgery (January 14, 2013) I weighed 264. I wish I had measurements but I never took them. Today I weigh 210. So since surgery I have lost 54 pounds. FEELS AWESOME. Can't wait to see how it feels to lose the next 54.
 
I have not shopped yet for any new clothes and I think it is time. Everything is really baggy. I was trying to wait for the god forsaken weather to get warmer. I do not really want to buy winter clothes because by next winter I will be even smaller. And for the first time in my adult life- it will be soo fun to buy spring and summer clothes -- I hope.

Well, after 4 days of being the exact same weight, I woke up this morning 5 lbs less than yesterday. Makes no sense to me, but I'll take it. That puts me at 249 lbs, 25 less than my pre op high of 274.
I've decided to start weighing myself only once a week. It won't be easy, but obsessing over the scale can be counterproductive. I just needed to see it move after being the same for 4 days. Since I weighed in this morning, I guess I'll make Sunday my day.

Even this far out from surgery, I still have problems eating slowly - especially if it is something that goes down easily like peanut butter. By accident I found a way to train myself to eat slower.
 
It's chicken! My stomach doesn't seem to like ground up chicken and I can feel the gurgles and gas building after a bite or two. So I figure, why not use that to my advantage? So I'll be eating more chicken. Knowing that I have to stop eating after a bite is going to force me to lay the spoon down between bites.
 
Anyone else have a food or foods that cause them to have stomach gurgles and gas?

So, I had another very successful shopping trip to Goodwill this weekend. I got a pair of capri's, a pair of shorts, and 3 summer blouses for under $20. I also delivered another huge bag of clothes for donation. Its strange to be picking through through the clothes on the rack and see things you recognize from your closet, but in a good way! Sometimes you think, why did I hold onto this so long? Did that ACTUALLY fit me at one point? or the most common - what was I thinking? lol But anyway... its nice to donate your old clothes to a worthwhile cause, and fill your closet back up with really cute items, and a great price, I really recommend you consider this as you lose weight, don't spend too much money on clothes you won't be in for very long, and DO NOT HOLD ONTO YOUR OLD CLOTHES that are too big... not only does it take up valuable closet space, but don't give yourself an excuse to get back into them again.. stay on track and make your goal to get to or stay at a healthy weight!
 
OK... getting off my soapbox for a moment, I realized something today as I was getting dressed. When I was heavier (aka Fat - a word i disdain!) I always felt the need to compensate for my bigger self. Just because I was fat, I refused to be frumpy. I spent a lot of time accessorizing, or more time on my hair, or just being more "put together" - because I didn't want people to think that just because I was overweight, I was lazy, or that I didn't care about my appearance, so I tried really hard to look very pulled together.
 
As I got dressed today (its supposed to be 80ish here today) I pulled on a pair of capri's and one of my "new" summer shirts (ok... hawaiian, but that's not a bad thing, its really cute and yellow with soft blue flowers and palm frawns on it - shaddup!) I realized, I am perfectly confident to go out in just a pair of capri's, a sunny shirt, and flip flops. I even pulled my bangs away from my face and clipped them back - because I don't have to hide behind anything anymore (except my faux tan - I will be clutching my St Tropez faux tan with my dying breath - because I am an irish girl and "fish belly white" without it.) But... I do hope you see my point. I'm not hiding... i'm not disguising myself.
 
Are you still hiding and/or disguising yourself because you aren't happy with your weight? So I ask you why the weight? Why the wait? Why did I wait so long? I love my sleeve, even more then I loved my band! If I were starting over from today, first time weight loss surgery patient, I would not pass go, would not collect my $200 and would go STRAIGHT to the sleeve, I love it, have no complaints, and zero regrets (except the waiting part!)
 
What are you waiting for?
 
 
here's a link to my original blog post with my contact information with all my other blog entries... feel free to reach out and get in touch with me lori at obesitycontrolcenter dot com

Ok so as of 3/6 according to my nutrionist I am on track with everything. I dont feel that way but she was happy. She wants me to be 218 by my 3 month mark which is 4-14.I am currently 233 was 270. Thats a ways away and only 15 lbs but with the way I get stuck on a weight for over a week at a time kills me. I need to start exercising more but I still have a hole in my side. That prevents alot.
 
I am absolutely horrible at getting my protein in! But I found that the french vanilla protein works well as a cooffe creamer. Plus the coffee masks the protein taste. Oh and I do it in room temp coffee mix it and then add ice. I loooovvveee cold coffee. And caffeine free of course. I was quite pleased. I may try chocolate next week. Make like a mocha.
 
Anywho...Happy losing!

After the shopping Friday, I cleaned my closet out Saturday. I got rid of a lot of clothes that I could no longer fit or sew to fit. I gave a lot away to ones who needed them. But man do I have so much more room in my closet, but enough shopping for now since I plan on losing another 50+ pounds. I'm excited about where I am today. And excited about where I will be in 4 months on my surgiversary in July.
 
 
A Month before surgery
 
 
8 Months Post-Op

Today is my first day back at work. I think I am doing phenomenal!! I did however think it was a good idea to wear my jeans to work...ummmm....NOT! The jeans don't rub any of the incision sites but when I sit they push up under the lowest one, not very comfy. It's a good thing I have on a big sweatshirt so I could have my pants unzipped under my desk Hubby to the rescue he brought me my yoga pants! So I'm looking pretty slumpy but I'm here and I feel good!!
 
My first official weigh in will be on Wednesday (on the once a week plan) but I'd be lying if I said I haven't jumped on the scale every morning. So far it's about a pound a day. I'm sure it will slow down soon but it sure is fun to see the scale moving that fast!

Had my appointment with the haematologist today, i finally have the results i need to have my operation, i have the factor in my blood but not the syndrome which is the thing that does the damage, so i can have my operation i just need to have blood thinning drugs after for a bit longer just as a precaution, just waiting to hear from my surgeon with a new date in april, so close now and actually believe i will have my op in april, who hoo, so ready for this, x

I joined the gym on monday and have been going consistently since then. It has made me extremely tired and I have finally felt my hunger again. It has definitely been a difficult past few days. I'm tired, hungry, and I think I am dehydrated.
 
I still have some things to work on as far as eating goes. I go too long without eating and let myself get famished. By the time I eat, I am so hungry that I kind of want to just stuff my face. Of course I can't, so what I end up doing is taking a huge bite (and then I remember and get afraid) and slowly chew and every once in awhile I will swallow. I have to work on eating every 2-3 hours. I know it isn't an excuse, but sometimes I get so busy that I don't get a chance to.
 
The other thing I am failing on is giving my body enough water. I get my recommended dose, but I don't think it is enough. I still feel thirsty. I haven't really been carrying around a water bottle all day which is what I think I need to do.
 
Oh and I definitely still need to work on my half hour before and after no drinking rule. I am getting better, but it is sooooo hard.
 
Well, back to the hunger. I keep feeling hungry and not quite satisfied. Except today (because I ate some chicken at chili's) I have been averaging about 600 calories...so I haven't necessarily been eating more food. I really think it is the cardio and weight lifting that is making me feel like I need more food because my belly feels full, but just doesn't feel like it is enough.
 
I am going to put more effort into drinking water ALL day long instead of what is convenient. I am hoping this puts a dent in things.

Have been MIA for a while.I returned 1 day before moving house and have been unpacking and sorting out stuff since then.
 
I have lost another couple of pounds and am at 158 most days.This seems to me the perfect weight for me.I am skinny.I really look thin.Even I can see it now.No more saddle bags on legs! Stomach is flat as a pancake,boobs non exisitent even thought they hang on my knees,no butt whatsoever..lol.
 
Life is good and I have been eating a lot of junk and still losing weight.Am maybe not eating as much as I think.
 
We love love love our new house.It has a huge lap pool with a jaccuzi and a sauna.It also has a lake view.Beautiful to sit putside or run next to the lake.
 
I will be seeing physician next week as I need bloods done.I am so bruised it is unreal.My back also aches like mad if I stand.Can sit,lie down and even walk and be ok but not stand in one place.My eyes seems to be soing ok and thecoated toungue issues continues.I have taken stuff for thrush numerous times to no avail.
 
All in all life is great and I am very happy.We are taking a short seaside break in a couple of weeks so I need new bathing suite and broad shorts.The arms I cannot hide.In fact my friend told me it makes me look old,nice friend,lol!So even if I never do my boobs,legs bodylift or facelift,I will so my arms.Then no one can see that I look strange for my age..lol
 
Will post when blood results are in and on the 13th.
 
 
 
 

The surgery yesterday evening went well, they were able to get the kidney stone out, so that's good. I'm still uncomfortable, and running a fever on and off due to the infection it caused. My blood pressure is kind of all over the place, one reading high- the next might be low- the next normal...so between that and the fever, they're keeping me one more night to make sure they get all the antibiotcs on board that they wanted to.
(P.S.- these liquid meds TASTE TERRIBLE! lol)
As much of a bummer as it is to have kindey stones, I really took a lot of comfort in knowing, I have no remaining issues from surgery. The pain I thought I was having b/c of it turned out to be kidney stone, so I'm completely healed and doing well with my sleeve itself.
I've also found now that the stone is out- and the pain is down, I'm much better at getting my fluids in- still working on the protein angle, but it's hard to fill that order at the hospital- I've been using muscle milk for now- just to get something in.
 
Thanks all for the support and well wishes the other day! Best of luck to the rest of you sleevers!

Ok so I have lost over 60lbs since I began this journey last May. 51 of those have come since surgery on Dec 24.
It's crazy because I know I am much smaller, I've gone from a size 22 to a size 14/16 but I still look the same when I look in the mirror! And what's crazy is I never thought I looked that big before. HAH my body image is clearly off.
 
What I really wanted to document was the fact that I just went and picked up some stuff that I ordered from Lane Bryant. I'm proud to say that this order will be the last time I shop there. Even the size 14/16 stuff that I ordered is really too big for me! I walked past NY&Co on my way to LB and wondered when I will be able to fit into that stuff. I think I might be there! Granted it will be the biggest size they carry vs being the smallest size they carry at LB but hey, to have the joy of shopping in a regular size clothing store....PRICELESS!!!!!!!!!!!

For as long as I can remember I was told I was beautiful with strings. I have been struggling with weight issues since I was at least 8 years old, that is about 20 years of being chubby, fat, heavy, thick, overweight, chunky, obese, or whatever unpleasant, easy to swallow, politically correct or incorrect word you want to use for it. Not only have I struggled but my weight has gone up over the last 10 years also. So many people in my life would give me the speech - you are so pretty you are so beautiful but you would be so pretty if you only lost weight. Thanks for the boost of confidence guys. That only knocked me back like 10 steps but if only you knew. (I'll go eat a cheeseburger now to feel better)
 
I used to be an active girl, playing sports, running around, being in the mix and then laziness and knee injury kicked in at 19 years old and then another at like 24. It was so much easier to use my knee injury as an excuse. Depression happened, life slapped me in the face and I didn't want to fight back so I ate to fight myself and punish the one person who didn't deserve it... me.
 
At 25 years old I lost my job and health insurance which caused me to go without for 3 years. At that point I went back to college to save my future and earn a bachelor's degree in accounting. During this period I gained more weight. I also went on diets, excersized, and lost weight, then gained it all back. Oh the Joys of Jenny Craig and dieting in general. I remember telling myself years ago that I would never be "this fat or this big" WELL HELLO WORLD I GOT HERE!!!" When I finally graduated, got a job and had health insurance again I went to the doctor and was weighed in to find myself at 272 pounds. Man was I in shock. I almost didn't believe it.
 
Then the airplane happened. I have to travel as a requirement for work and I was on a plane and could not buckle the darn seatbelt. I had to sit with my sweat shirt covering my midsection the whole 3 hour flight because I could not buckle THE DAMN BELT!!! I was mortified. I was afraid I would be noticed. I was sweating. I was probably suspicious looking. Heck I am surprised I didn't get frisked by the on board security person. But I made it and I vowed at that moment I would do something about it. That was when my doctor recommended weight loss surgery and I found Dr. Chau and Dr. Brolin.
 
I have been on this journey so far since August, 2012 and even had to start my insurance required diet appointments all over because I missed one - SO I can't stress the importance of making sure you get your behind to every single appointment enough. My last diet appointment is on March 18th and I am counting down the days.
 
My estimated surgery date is somewhere in Mid-May and I am soooooo excited and nervous I just can't tell you!