MWilliams42

I have found caffeinated tea makes me more thirsty, there are a lot of GREAT decaf teas out there that you can choose from. I've even switched to decaf coffee when I feel the need to act like I'm drinking a cup!

I received a "bill" yesterday...said I owe -7000.00...why send a bill when I know I owe nothing, paid cash. I looked at the total amount for the surgery, and even though my rate was pre-negotiated, it stated it was $42,000...that is WAY more than my cash price...I didn't know they could up the cost that much, they must do it to see what they can get insurances to pay. Although I didn't pull out my insurance card once, paid cash, no balance billing but I was still shocked at the price. You should really check that out, that seems like they shouldn't have billed both insurances, I'd ask them why they thought they should bill both.

I have/had type 2 diabetes. It is slowly disappearing. You should really check with your doctor. I was able to stop my oral meds for diabetes, and go down from 5 shots per day to 1 shot a day right now and my endocrinologist is hopeful by my next appointment I will be totally off everything! But seriously, check with your doc.

Don't you just love it when our children, grown or not, leave us speechless in an "I'm so proud of you" way!!! Sometimes we need to stop and listen...the scale...well, I don't like it, so I only weigh once a week now instead of driving myself crazy once a day! You've got this and you are doing great! I just absolutely love reading your posts!!! So insightful!! Listen to you your son, as I have listened to mine!( 3 of them to be exact...21,20 & 7!)

Um...YES! You can see the difference. Keep taking those pictures girl!!!

Oh my goodness...happy surprises fill the air today!!!! So happy for you!

I just thought...maybe I should have blogged that!!! LOL...oh and she told me that I started a lot lighter than most of the patients and I am not going to lose as fast, my body is still freaking out from losing what I have and it will kick in soon! Ok, now I'm DONE!!!

I just found out something today! I've been frustrated with this "stall" and called the doctors office. While my mom said, since seeing pics of me today, that I look like I'm turning into a different version of me, and to relax it will all catch up. to which I replied...RELAX...ME!!!! HA!!! Well, the nutritionist said I am not eating enough calories! HMMMM, no one has EVER told me I'm NOT eating ENOUGH!!! I backed up, sat down and said, you have the list in front of you of what I am trying to eat and I can never eat the whole portion...she stated I needed some good calories, like a spoon of nut butter, or banana in my protein...and up the calories a bit to boost the metabolism. Who knew that I would NOT be eating enough!!! I'm just stunned! My mom said she can see that I am losing inches, and the RELAX comment is really sticking in my head! Plus the nutritionist said ONLY weigh myself ONCE a WEEK, NOT every day or it will consume your mind! I said too late for that piece of genious!!! Too late lady!!! lol...well I feel better now! Have a blessed night!

It's a good day today, I didn't get on the scale, I am done with the PMS, and my hormones seem to be balancing out, at least for today!!! I have some new goals in store for me, goals to help me, to challenge me and to just make me feel better in general. I have decided that this time around I'm going to take that bull by the horns and face everything, one thing at a time, head on. I've been frustrated with the scale not moving, so I saw someone on here posted this shake to get through the "stall" and this quote that was confirmation to me, because I said it yesterday...You didn't have your patience removed during surgery so why are you in such a hurry to lose what took you years to gain? - UH...DUH...I thought that yesterday, read it today and thought OMG...get with it, you are making good choices, you have been given this tool to help on the journey, so chill out and keep truckin' ahead! I already belong to a gym with the Hubs, but I decided to challenge my mind and body with CrossFit. I have a lot of friends, at all different weight and fitness levels that go, and I really feel this will get my body in gear to keep making those right choices. I am excited for the challenge and excited to see the results. I am signing a 3 month contract and then more if I still like it at 3 months. I told the Hubs that I NEED to do this for me and I need his support to know that I have to do this. I don't know what it is but I just feel the need to finally challenge ME. I'm cleaning out my closet next, while the scale isn't moving, I have noticed that things that were tight before surgery are just way too big, not even somewhat cute to get me through til I lose more weight, so they are OUTTA there!!!! Not EVER going back to that size again! I'm finding that instead of using my hands to eat, I'm organizing more(which I am pretty damn organized already), getting my surroundings in order...the new me is coming out to play and I think I really like this woman!!! I've continued taking pics...sent one to mom yesterday...I said LOOK...my sides aren't touching the side of my office chair!!! What a great feeling!!! I'm super excited at what lies ahead for ALL of us...and I have to say I'm thankful for all on here, this is a great place to come for a "pick me up"!!! Be Blessed, and know that you have GREAT days ahead of you.

Thank you very much. I appreciate the words of encouragement BellaHugz! Means the world!

Wednesdayzchild...thanks for the new direction!!! I have been exercising and I'm not going to stop...water is my friend...so I will wait, patiently for the trusty scale to one day decide to MOVE!!!!

What broke your stall? I've upped the protein a bit and nothing seems to help right now. The scale has stayed the same for 2 and a 1/2 weeks now...super irritating.

I was just getting frustrated about that too. I am getting out daily to do some sort of exercise, I am eating my protein and some vegetables, plus drinking all my liquids and I am stuck, been stuck for almost 3 weeks now. I am 5 weeks out and this is frustrating, I'll be upset if I just lose the 21 pounds and nothing else. hoping my body catches up. FRUSTATING

Not drinking with the meal is ok for me...it's right before and right after, I guess I need to actually time my meals! I always forget the 30 minutes before and after...You get thirsty when you eat!!! So that has been a little hard to get used to!

gamergirl...I love reading your posts & your blogs!!! You are REAL and that is what I love. I've noticed it helps me when feeling down to write, to read, to just do something that I enjoy and the feeling sometimes passes. Chin up, you are doing great and keep the comments coming!

That is something I have always had a hard time with. I used to work at Lane Bryant, best job I loved it there. Well I had my "light bulb" moment working there while folding the jean wall that never quit!!! This is what happened, when I was in high school, I was always between a 12 and a 14 and thought I was BIG...while folding the jeans I was "in the zone", because I love to fold, and I started to fold a pair of 14 jeans(the smallest size for LB) and then folded a 22(which I was in at the time) then another 14 and a 28 and the next 14 I held up I was like OMG...I THOUGHT I was fat when I wore this size, and now look at the jeans I'm wearing and convinced my self I was hot stuff!!!! It was then I realized that my mind was messed up...thinking I was huge at a size 14 was ridiculous!!! So I am hoping that this time around, since I have been working on my mind, I hope to have a better outlook on me!!!

On your READ THIS...you put ALL that in one shake? I already put a lot of Kale in mine, love the taste, and what do the chia seeds do? It actually sounds good. Is spirulina ok to have, I noticed it has a lot of sugar, I'm so used to reading about sugars, being diabetic...does it taste really sweet? I'm very sensitive to sweet right now!

Ok...here goes...(and I can't get this thing to STOP underlining my words!!! Still figuring this site out! I would be so HEALTHY if I would just lose weight. The weight and my food choices, of course, are what got me in this mess, not watching what I put in my mouth is what helped my Diabetes come out in full force, and now...I just told my husband last night, I am learning to eat to live, I no longer feel that I live to eat. Food was my buddy, my pal, exercise was my enemy for two reasons, 1 because I couldn't breathe when I did it, and 2 because even with a trainer I didn't drop a pound in 6 months and I was in the gym all the time. Now that I look back, yes I was working out, but I wasn't watching what was going in my mouth. Hmmm...you think THAT might have been the issue!!! So now, I don't really enjoy eating, it's hard to eat when you aren't hungry, and I am exercising, and I think(judging by my clothing) that I am losing inches because the darn scale isn't moving, at the moment!!! But my clothes are fitting different. I want to be a healthy person, make the right choices and live a lot longer than where I was headed. I used to be athletic, back in the day, and when I work out with people they are surprised at what I actually CAN do...yep the chunky girl still has it!!! I just have to realize that and work to get that back!!! I want this tummy gone, I hate NOT being pregnant and people asking when the baby is due, when I reply 7 YEARS AGO, they look at me confused then stick their foot in their mouth!!! Makes me chuckle a bit!!! So, onward in this journey we go!!! Replacing the love affair with food with a new love, a healthy love...a love for ourselves because we have realized that we ARE worth it!!!

Do you go to any other type of Doc? I go, regularly to an Endocrinologist, I don't see a PCP on a regular basis. The Endo was ON BOARD and wrote me the letter that same day. If not that can be a part of your visit with the new PCP, it may happen on the 2nd visit, and if they are scheduling that far out, check your in-network docs and find one that is taking new patients immediately. It takes a bit of work, but persistence pays off. Believe me I do this for a living, I'm a Patient Advocate and we get people in all the time, you can even suggest to be on a cancellation list for them to call you and in the meantime call daily for any cancellations!

"Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you greater than any obstacle." - Christian D. Larson...I have to constantly surround myself with positive thoughts and quotes, etc. I have been doing this for a long time, it has helped renew my mind, focusing on what is going to help and not hinder me. Sometimes my mind can be a frightening place, and it has been that for years of emotional eating, out of control habits where food is concerned and all to the detriment of my health. I developed Diabetes, and was on oral meds and 5 shots a day and my numbers were still not where they were supposed to be. So I realized, a while ago, I had to change my mindset first, and the rest will follow. It's so easy to listen to and believe the negative things you tell yourself. I honestly remember telling myself how much I hated me and what I had become, I could not look at myself in the mirror without disgust at what I saw. My kids would judge how much weight mom lost according to if they could connect their hands around me when they hugged me. So after a bad marriage, and a bad 5 year relationship, I decided to work on ME. In doing so, I found the person I lost, and surprisingly she was waiting to make an entrance. She sat in the background being emotionally battered for long enough and food was her only friend. I tried denying the Diabetes and it got worse, they had to change insulin doses all the time just to see what might work, and it caused me to feel sick more often than not. But I had to press through, and had to realize that I AM worth fighting for, I AM worth my time, and I don't want my kids to know life without me at this point, I'm still young. That's where the positive talk came in to play and I can honestly say that with all things this helps me the most. I feel better because I am working on me from the inside out. This surgery was just icing on the "virtual" cake!!! Now I am self motivating me for the start of the rest of my life, and it feels great!!! I try not to let the negative things get me down, because I've been down that depression/anxiety road before and I don't like that path in life at all. Some things I say over and over that really help are as follows: "There is nothing to great of accomplishment for one who knows the power of one's word and follows one's intuitive leads." - "The perfect plan includes health, wealth, love and perfect self-expression. this is the square of life, which brings perfect happiness." - "When you feel the world pushing against you...drop your head, lower your shoulder and dig in deep and push back." - and the best one so far, by Joel Osteen: "You need to associate with people that inspire you, people tat challenge you to rise higher, people that make you better. Don't waste your valuable time with people that are not adding to your growth. Your destiny is too important." Believe that...YOU are important, YOU are so worth the effort you put in to yourself and YOU will be the BEST YOU that you can possibly be. As the song says...."YOU are AMAZING, JUST the way YOU ARE!!!"

I've been through many years of ridicule for my weight, directly and indirectly...I have been outgrowing Lane Bryant Clothing, and then coming to where I am now. My ex-husband made me feel less than human, and I gained most of my weight due to the depression and anxiety from that relationship. I had to realize that only I could change myself, and I had to realize that everyone will always have their opinions, but I don't have to be the brunt of them. The man I grew up with was very conditional with his praise, or love or whatever, and that played a big role on how I felt about me...I felt if I performed to expectations I would get that love and attention from the only man I knew, at that time as dad. Later in life I realized he was doing the same to my younger siblings and I didn't like that, the only difference, he is their biological dad...I put a stop to the conditional stuff and he told me I was no longer his daughter. I felt like a ton of bricks was lifted off of me! Finally I stood up for ME, and it felt so good. That was the first step in my life that I took at realizing I don't have to take the negative from others and make it my own . I am responsible for my happiness and I've come to a point where I make myself very happy and it shows!!! My mom/best friend...gave me this book that helped me so very much, it's by Florence Scovel Shinn and it is called the Complete Writings of Florence Scovel Shinn for Women. It features The Game of Life and How to Play it, Your Word is your Wand, The Secret Door to Success, and The Power of the Spoken Word...it really changed how and what I let into my life. I recommend this book to my friends often. Another GREAT read is Deadly Emotions by Dr. Colbert...AWESOME and this DR knows his stuff!!!

That was funny...I guess everyone hits the "stall button", here I thought it was just me!!! don't like it but working through it! Thanks for the laugh.

I had surgery on a Monday, and work at a desk job, was back in the office on Thursday, just sipping away, and I worked 2 half days that week and then the next week I was good to go and I had a full week in the office.

I think the stall is the worst thing, it really does make you second guess what has just taken place. I'm hoping this shall pass...

I'm at this stall point too. I'm 4 weeks out and the scale hasn't moved in a week...yet I'm exercising, and eating so little, I'm also retaining Water...monthly! I talked to my nurse last night and she said not to get frustrated, all women go through this, and it can be a little exacerbated this time of the month, especially because this surgery changes up some hormones as well. I'm happy I'm not gaining, but frustrated the scale isn't moving, maybe its broken!!!(I could tell myself that)...I did put on a pair of pants this morning that went straight to the giveaway pile, they were tight a month ago and wouldn't even stay up this morning!!! Little successes, focus on that, it seems to help me!