Weight Loss

Ok, so I had fully planned to do the 5 day test yesterday, when it got time for lunch I realized that I didn't have any of the things that I needed to do this test. So I am going to make a list and go shopping this weekend and start on Monday. I am bummed, but I didn't plan, so what can I do...
However, I think that I was still in the mindset, or something because when I weighed myself this morning it read....

drum roll please....

177.5!!! That is a total weight loss of 25.5 lbs since surgery and 28.5 since I started this journey! I am finally out of the 180s and the scale finally moved! I am so happy! After my first child, I had made another, fairly successful attempt to loose weight, I lost about 30 something and ended up at 174 before I started packing it back on. So only 3.5 lbs away from my lowest weight since I gained it all starting in 2003. Finally... a step in the right direction :)

I also measured myself since it had been a while, the inches down next to it is the overall loss

Neck 14.5 -1"

Arms

R 12.5 -1"

L 12.5 -1.5"

Bust 39 -3.5"

Waist 36 -4.5"

Hips 45 -4"

Thighs

R 21.5- 1.5"

L 21 -1.5"

Calves

R 15.75 -1"

L 15.5 -1"

Ankles

R 8.75 -.75"

L 8.5 -.75"

Total Inches lost - 22 inches :)

I will try to take pictures tonight for comparison :) YAY for being on the right track!

5 day pouch test

I have been sitting at 181 for over a month now. It is time to make some changes. I honestly am surprised that I haven't gained weight considering my food choices. I am still eating MUCH less than I used to, but oreos and chocolate milk are getting the best of me! I'm typically not a sugar person but latley I can't get enough. So on one of my groups, a fellow bandster posted a linke to a website called the 5 Day Pouch Test It is really to help you get back on track but most people do experience a bit of weight loss too. I am hoping this will help me out!

So I am starting today, Day 1, the liquid phase. Wish me luck!

Still Stuck...and a bit TMI...just warning you :)

I am still stuck at 181.5... I went in for my last free fill on Friday (they do up to 90 days free) and was excited to hear my doc tell the nurse to give me 1 cc instead of .5 because I'm not loosing as fast as he would like... well that did the trick! I acutally feel restricted now! It cut down how much I am able to eat again (although my mind tells me to keep eating...sad) so that is good. This morning I took a bite of something and although I chewed it well, it got stuck which hurt like a biatch...and I threw it up. Not fun, but it was a lesson learned!

So lets hope this will get the scale moving again. WOO HOO!

New motivation

I need motivation to work out. I've been doing better with eating, but I HAVE to exercise. This morning I thought... 20 minutes, thats nothing, I can easily blow that away on the computer, why not do it on something that is good for me. So I planned to do it when I woke up. I weighed myself, like I do every morning, and the scale read 181, so so close to the 170s, I can do this, in the next few days if i try hard enough. So on I went to work out. One of my Turbo Jam dvd's is 20 minutes and is a good way to get back into exercising, so I did it. DD was cheering me on the whole way, she was too cute! So, my goal for the next week is to get at least 20 minutes of cardio in. I think that is a good start.

I teach summer camps and next week we start so that is going to be tough, I will have to work it in in the evening or just get up a bit earlier. Its only 20 minutes right?

I'm lazy

That is the reason why I am not loosing weight as quickly as I should be. I'm not exercising and I have no excuse not to, just that I am lazy. I need to get on the ball. Its making me mad, but I'm not doing anything aobut it.

I must work out today!!

Weight: 183

Weigh-In

Ok, so picking a set day isn't really working for me. LOL I just can't seem to remember. But, I weighed myself this morning so I will post it. I am also going to get my second fill (will be .5 cc) on Friday. WOO HOO

Weight 184.5 lbs

My first fill :)

My first fill was yesterday. Not nearly as bad as I thought. It didn't hurt hardly at all (having blood drawn is worse!) and I am sure this will jumpstart my weight loss again.

Today, so far, I have eaten much less than normal, so we are on the right track!

And some info on fills... the lap band is adjustable (one of the pros for me) and its adjusted by "filling" or removing a saline solution into the band via a port that is placed under the skin. This is how it can be controled as you continue to loose weight.


I had 1 cc injected.

New Pictures

I thought it would be fun to take some new pictures. The first time DH did it, I used the timer to take them today so the angle is a little funny. Anyway, I can see a difference, and that makes me happy :)

Once again...

My doctor's office called to cancel. Apparenlty my doctor is sick? But the rescheduled me for Friday. If this becomes a habit I am going to have to find a new place to get fills. The good news is is that my weight moved again. WOO HOO!!

Weight: 186

I am a bad bad blogger!!

Ok, I just realized that my 1 month post op just passed, I'm 2 days late! LOL

Not much going on, weight is 187.5... boooo.... but I have my first fill in 2 days so I am really excited about that. I am sure that will jumpstart the weight loss again. That makes me excited :) I need to take some pictures, I will try to remember to do that soon!

"Are you loosing weight?"

Yep, I got my first one today. That sure makes a girl smile :) This person is the first one who doesn't know I had surgery to say something (the only ones who do know I had it are my husband, mom and two of my friends) so it made me happy!! :)

I did weigh myself today... I had a crazy weekend and forgot on Friday, it said 188...BOOO Apparently that happens though, once you start eating regular food you stop loosing or even gain a bit until you get your first fill. Mine is scheduled for April 24th. WOO HOO I can't wait :)

A little birdie...

Reminded me that I needed to update my blog :)

So, here I am! I've been fairly busy/forgettful so I haven't posted. The last time I weighed myself I was 187, I am trying to hold out until Friday and make that my offical weigh in day. The weight loss has slowed now that I am eating more real foods. I am looking forward to that first fill to start controling my hungar more.

But other than that, all is well!

Oh, my main incision, the port site, is kind of sunken in a bit. I just wanted to make note of that! :)

I'm going down down...

As of today, I have lost 15 lbs since surgery (18 since my highest)!! I am so excited! I am well on my way!! I am feeling really good, but starting to want real food. I am suppose to start my "pureed" diet tomorrow but I have been starting to add in some things from under that list. I have no idea what I am going to eat over the next two weeks. I can have anything as long as it is blended or put in the processor to an applesauce consistency. So yeah... don't know what I am going to eat.

But anyway, just wanted to update!


Weight 188

Bye bye 190s!

Ok, so I need to get on some sort of system here...weighing everyday is probably not the best idea, but with me dropping weight almost everyday, its kind of hard not to! It won't last forever, but I am enjoying it while its here!

I feel good! I can honestly say that I feel like a normal person, its a good feeling after what I was feeling like last week! I am looking forward to new clothes, a healthier body and lots of energy!!

Weight 189

New week....

I still maintain that this has been the WORST week in my life as far as physical pain. But at least there are some good results from it. I do have to say, it is NOT from being healthy and loosing weight the right way. This is from basically not eating and being sick all week, not something I would like to brag about or recommend. I hope the worst is behind me so that I can start doing this the right way!

DH insisted that I measure myself since I have lost so much weight this week. I too thought it would be interesting to see. Here are my measurements from this morning

Neck 15” - ½”
Upper Arms
R- 12 3/4" - ¾”
L- 13 1/4" - ¾”
Bust 41 1/2" -1”
Waist 38 1/4" -2”
Hips 48" -1”
Thighs
R-22 3/4" -0 (I defiantly mistyped this and I don’t have the original paper anymore, DH remembers my right side being bigger. So I will just redo this one)
L- 21 ½” -1”
Calves
R 16" – ¾”
L 16" – ½”
Ankles
R 8 3/4" - ¾”
L 8 3/4" – ½”

Total Inches Lost 9.5”

Weight 190.5 -12.5lbs (since 3/20/09)

Worst Few Days of My LIFE!

CONTENT WARNING: Some parts of this post may be TMI

Ok, so like the title says, the last few days have been utter HELL! Not only have I been doing through the pain of healing from the band and the exhaustion from eating so few calories, I HAD THE FLU! I have had TWO children via c-section, the first of which I labored for 17 hours first, and THIS was WORSE! I guess when you don't eat your body has nothing to throw up so you just heave and heave like you are going to throw up, but nothing comes up. Oh wait, I lied, lots and lots of phlegm comes up. It was so horrible. I had a fever and contemplated going to the ER. Luckily, my fantastic husband got me through it, it was such a HUGE help. I seriously think I would have died on the bathroom floor without him. Thanks babe!

So anyway, the flu sucks.....the flu coupled with lap-band recovery sucks even more. I hate whoever gave this to me!

Weight 193.5

Another good morning...

Well yesterday morning was good followed by a bad afternoon and night. It seems like I feel better in the morning. I fell *almost* normal this morning, besides the pain in my throat, but I have a feeling that it will be short lived.

I am getting really sick of liquids, and to know that I haven't even made one full week and I have to do 2 weeks is a task that seems a bit daunting. Im pretty much sticking to the diet, I have added two things to the mix that are making me stay sane but pretty much still on the same lines, that is small curd cottage cheese that i chew like crazy and really runny mashed potatoes.

I ate last night, a bit too much I think, then we went for a walk, i had to come running back in because i thought i was going to throw up. Luckily, I didn't and the feeling passed, but still, it wasn't fun.

Well, I guess all this pain isn't for no reward. The scale keeps moving....and in the right direction for once.

Weight 195.5

A little better....

I just got up, but so far this morning I feel a little better. The pain has dulled some, although it is still there. I just walked alot last night to deal with the pain, lots of walking to move this gas around inside, that is what hurts the worst, the gas.


For now, in this week, I will just post my weight everyday, I know that it may go up again a bit, but so that I can see if it is related to things I am doing or eating.

Weight 199

Feeling like crap :(

I really do hate to complain since I have had this awesome opportunity to help myself and in turn help my family, but I feel like crap :( This isn't anywhere as bad as the c-sections that I have had for my children but still... I don't feel good :(

Last night I took some meds right before bed and didn't take any during the night, that was totally my fault, so I woke up this morning (my first morning without DH) stiff and in pain. My stomach incisions actually are bothering me, where as before they weren't because of the meds. The pain is starting to dull now, so that is good. The worst pain is in my throat, when air (gas) comes up it hurts where I was intubated, it feels like someone is blowing a balloon in my throat...not good! I have had lots of gas pains moving through my stomach, that is really common. I started adding some infant gas drops to my meds and it seems to help a bit.

Hopefully things will be getting better now. Its been a full 72+ hours since surgery so I would imagine that the worst is behind me. Soon, the swelling should go down and the scale should start to move. WOO HOO!

Today, I am also going to start a food journal. Right now my focus is making sure that I am getting enough protein and enough calories. Its amazing how you can go from eating way too much to being worried about not eating enough, but alas, here we are!

Also, while I need to get on a weighing schedule and right now things are crazy with the way I feel, my weight this morning is...

200.5 Woo hoo!

I am Offically Banded!

Well yesterday was an interesting day. My husband and I arrived at the hospital at 6 AM after dropping my kids off at my friend's house at 5:30 (thanks girl, you are amazing!) Then they took us (me and two others that were having different surgeries) upstairs and left our SO's in the waiting room. We got dressed in our gowns (these weird purple ones that you can blow up with hot air) and then took us to get settled with our IVs and stuff, I also had to get shot in my stomach to avoid blood clots. They brought my DH back up and we waited a little while before they took me out. They gave me a little bit of meds in my IV to start knocking me out, DH said I looked so relaxed :) Then the last thing I remember is being put in the elevator then into the OR where they made me switch beds, and they gave me oxygen and I was out.

I woke up in recovery to someone squeezing my feet, it turns out its this little machine that squeezes your feet to get blood moving until you can get up and get walking. I was also SO thirsty, but because of the nature of the surgery I couldn't have anything to drink until after I had an upper GI test a few hours later. That was pure torture. After I was in recovery for an hour they wheeled me to my room where DH was waiting. It was so good to see him! And if you have ever been in the hospital before you know that they just don't leave you alone! You are constantly being tested, or poked or asked questions. I got extremely extremely nauseous and they gave me some meds in my IV, that didn't do much. I went down to radiology for my upper GI and they had me drink some nasty stuff, but at least it was something to drink! After that I was clear to drink small amounts of water. During this time DH and I had been taking walks to help get things going again. They say walk walk walk, sip sip sip, so that is what we did. I also had alot of pressure in my chest which is actually gas, that was a bit weird. After a little while I started getting nauseous again only this time, much worse! So they came and gave me a shot in my upper arm, that hurt REALLY bad. The nurse told me that my surgeon had cleared me to go home, but since I was nauseous I had to stay overnight! I was really upset because we hadn't made any arrangements for overnight since the surgery is suppose to me outpatient. We figured it out though and DH got the kids from my friends and took them to my in laws where they stayed the night.

This morning I felt much better and we were allowed to leave around 8:30 am. Now I am home, showered and feeling much better. I have 4 small incisions and one bigger one where the port is. And although I am tired and still in some pain I feel like I have made an amazing decision for not only myself, but for my family. This is going to be a long journey, but one that is going to make a world of difference!


Offical Starting Measurements (taken the night of 3/19/09)

Weight 203 lbs

Neck 15 1/2"
Upper Arms R- 13 1/2" L- 14"
Bust 42 1/2"
Waist 40 1/4"
Hips 49"
Thighs R-22 1/2" L- 22 1/2
(taken 7 inches from mid of knee)
Calfs R 16 3/4" L 16 1/2"
(taken 3 inches from mid of knee)
Ankles R 9 1/2" L 9 1/4"

Surgery Tomorrow

Well, as most of the weight losses in my life, the weight loss from the food poising was short lived, but that is all going to change tomorrow! Tomorrow, I will arrive at the hospital at 6 am for my Lap-Band surgery. I am excited, scared, nervous, giddy and several other emotions that are running rampid right now. My biggest fear? The anestesia, I've been under before but it always makes me nervous. The sugery lasts under an hour, sometimes as quick as 30 minutes, so that is good, but alas, I am scared.

But here is to a new way of life, the new me, and my journey!

Loosing weight

Food poisoning = no good!!

I got food poisoning this past weekend and that has caused me to loose some weight. I have also been eating more than I want to to try to keep my weight up for the surgery, I am afraid that the insurance will deny me if I've lost weight on my own. I want to start exercising though to prepare my body more for surgery and recovery.

So anyway, I called the doctor and they said not to worry about it, but I am still a bit nervous of them canceling on me!!!!

INSURANCE APPROVAL!!!

I am happy to say that I was approved by my insurance company (United Health care) for the lap band!! WOO HOO! Apparently it was approved on the 20th but when I called on Friday they told me it was still under review. Doesn't matter, because I got my letter yesterday afternoon! We have some family things coming up and although they could get me in next month, I have scheduled my surgery for MARCH 20TH!!!! I am excited and nervous, but mostly anxious to start this journey :)

The Starting Point

After two children and gaining 65ish lbs, numerous failed diet attempts and a healthy dose of low self esteem, I have decided to take charge of my weight. I have chosen the tool that I believe can help me succeed. My tool of choice is the Lap-Band.

The Lap-Band is infact a tool to aid with weight loss, it is not a sure thing. Modifying what you eat and your activity level are crucial in seeing results. I plan to use this blog to track my progress and to, hopefully, motivate others.

A bit of my story. Around 8 years old, I went from a healthy slender child to an overweight one. I battled my weight through middle school and started to get a handle on it in high school. However, I really started getting more in shape when I made it onto my high school Varsity cheerleading squad my junior year. All was well in that department, I went to college really start working out a bit, lost a bit more weight....then I got married. The weight just started piling on. In about a year and a 1/2 I had gained 55-60 lbs. After my first child I lost about 30 lbs then gained it all right back plus a few. I was diagnosed with Poly Cystic Ovary Syndrome in 2007, which made me see why I had gained so much weight so quickly. After baby #2 (c/o fertility treatments) I lost my pregnancy weight, however this left me, still at a hefty 195-200 lbs. This is where I am today. I am overweight, pre-diabetic, I have high blood pressure, an irregular heart beat with trace valve leakage and I feel awful. I saw a commercial advertising the lap band procedure and I started my research from there.

I went to have a consult with a local doctor and am confident in his skills. I am currently waiting on approval from my insurance for the procedure. I should qualify, but we shall see :)

Like I said, I am using this blog to track my progress. I will post pictures and update as much as possible. And while I am not trying to hide anything (hence I am posting full pictures) I am going to use an alias to prevent people from being able to search my name :) So, anyway.... let the blog begin!!!