happymammaof2

So I am 41 and feel big as a whale. All my life I have been big. Well, I may stay big, but 200 is a WHOLE lot better than 350. This is my journey. It will probably be similar to yours, or not. It most likely will bore the heck out of you, and for that, I am sorry. I guess this blog is for me. To keep me on track, a place to 'let it out'. A place where I can say I cheated on my diet pre-op and where I can be held sort of accountable. As I have been told, a place to help me stop lying to myself. I have 2 wonderful kiddos. They are my life. My daughter is 11. She is thin, and most likely will remain that way. She is however, a junk-a-holic. She gets that from me. This new lifestyle will ultimately change her from this... because eventually, all the sweets we will have in the house, will be fruit. I am looking forward to that, but not the "I hate it here's" I am sure to hear! My son, he is 6 and weighs in at 83 pounds. I obviously have not exactly been a great role model. So, when I started this journey, he started his own. Together we have been counting calories, learning about fat and sodium, and understanding healthy eating. We started marching and dancing for at least 10 minutes a day, together. Sometimes we do some Richard Simmons exercising or go for a walk. As he says, we are a team, and a good team always wins. And he is right. My ultimate goal? To ride on a bike again. Funny how little things like that are missed. To be able to fit on the roller coasters again, or to be able to get into my car without having to suck in my breath before I do. Simple things that I used to take for granted. Oh it's going to be hard work, but oh so worth every effort! :confused: And so begins this jaunt down lifestyle change lane. I am not looking forward to a new me... I am looking forward to the OLD me that was lost under layers of mistakenly placed fat.

You are lucky that you can schedule your surgery so quickly! In Pennsylvania, it is mandatory to have to go through 6 months of 'training' where they give you tons of nutritional advice, make sure you are learning how to change your lifestyle, attending support groups and nutritional counciling, and towards the end, make sure you are ready psycologically for the surgery. My first month, they put me on a 1500 calorie diet, and suggested absolutely NO drinking alcohol and to quit smoking. They wont even do the surgery if you haven't quit. And, as rbailey said, alcohol is empty calories and you don't need that. While I am not yet banded, I would suggest going to a support group and talk to those there about their lifestyle changes. That may help.

So I am 41 and feel big as a whale. All my life I have been big. Well, I may stay big, but 200 is a WHOLE lot better than 350. This is my journey. It will probably be similar to yours, or not. It most likely will bore the heck out of you, and for that, I am sorry. I guess this blog is for me. To keep me on track, a place to 'let it out'. A place where I can say I cheated on my diet pre-op and where I can be held sort of accountable. As I have been told, a place to help me stop lying to myself. I have 2 wonderful kiddos. They are my life. My daughter is 11. She is thin, and most likely will remain that way. She is however, a junk-a-holic. She gets that from me. This new lifestyle will ultimately change her from this... because eventually, all the sweets we will have in the house, will be fruit. I am looking forward to that, but not the "I hate it here's" I am sure to hear! My son, he is 6 and weighs in at 83 pounds. I obviously have not exactly been a great role model. So, when I started this journey, he started his own. Together we have been counting calories, learning about fat and sodium, and understanding healthy eating. We started marching and dancing for at least 10 minutes a day, together. Sometimes we do some Richard Simmons exercising or go for a walk. As he says, we are a team, and a good team always wins. And he is right. My ultimate goal? To ride on a bike again. Funny how little things like that are missed. To be able to fit on the roller coasters again, or to be able to get into my car without having to suck in my breath before I do. Simple things that I used to take for granted. Oh it's going to be hard work, but oh so worth every effort! And so begins this jaunt down lifestyle change lane. I am not looking forward to a new me... I am looking forward to the OLD me that was lost under layers of mistakenly placed fat.