After the holidays

We had a wonderful holiday. It's great to spend time with family. We are a blessed family and I'm so thankful for the many blessings that we've received this year. I'm not referring to monetary and tangible gifts either.

Nothing new on the weight loss front. I weighed in this morning at 152. I would like to be below 150 by the end of the month but I doubt it. The weight is slowly melting off and I'm fine with that too. Next week, I will start walking at least 20 minutes in the mornings. I need the exercise and I need the sunlight to help with my Vit-D deficiency. My PCP called me in a prescription for potassium because she said my level was low. I need to goggle potassium to see what foods I can eat to help me in that area as well.

I year check-up

Monday I had my 1 year check-up. It went great. Dr. Smith said I've lost 91% of my excess body weight. He said that's better than expected. He thought I would lose approximately 80%. So, I am a happy camper and I'm not done yet.

I'm learning to deal with the fact that my hair is not thick like it use to be. Actually, if you didn't know me before DS you would not know that I have hair issues.

I think I have figured out the bathroom issues. You know you read about them prior to the procedure and I've talked to people who talk about them BUT until you experience it; you don't have a clue.

MY PCP did my labs so I don't have the results yet. I expect good results. At my six month check-up, my vitamin D was low which negatively impacted my calcium. I hope there is improvement in this area.

For the first time in my career at HP, I am scheduled off work for 2 1/2 weeks. Today I will work 1/2 day; then I am officially off until January 8th. I am excited about it. I will have a house full of family so i pray that it is a peaceful time.

My stats speaks for itself:

268/263/153/140
HW/SW/CW/GW

I year and 3 days out

Wow what a difference a year make. December 4th 2007 i made the decision to travel the ds road. I still have mixed feelings about it. I'm very pleased with the results but...I know I wouldn't weigh 154 lbs if not for the procedures. It's wonderful to shop in regular clothing stores. I definitely have more energy. I have exercised like I should and I will be working on improving in that area this week and the remainder of this year.

I'm so excited about the holiday and about having 2 weeks off from work. That definitely works for me.

My clothing size is medium and size 10. I look forward to stablizing and helping others who choose to travel this road. Dr Smith's goal for me was 160 lbs, but my personal goal is 145. I'm sure I will achieve it.

Anyway, I will come back later to finish this but I have to run right now....

It's almost 1 year out

So here I sit evaluating my first almost year. It's been an experience. I wonder how many people gain their weight back. I'm getting the impression that quite a few people gain their weight back. This is bit of a concern for me since I haven't exercised the way I really need to.

I want to do some weight training. I have a fear of getting an hernia if I overdo it. I don't want to go thru that; I'm not sure if that's a rational fear or just an excuse.

We are approaching the time of year where people are benevolent and considering the economy, I hope and pray that people in need are really blessed.

In the past couple of days, I've run into previous co-workers that I have not seen in years. The funny thing is that they see me and recognize me before I even see them. They are really impressed with my weight lost. Since I work from home, many of my co-workers have no clue what I look like.

I still can't believer that I wear medium size shirts/tops/sweaters and size 10 pants. I weight 152 lbs. I'm happy about that but I still am struggling to get all of my protein in. I HATE PROTEIN SHAKES. PERIOD. There are many who said they eat enough protein. I only need 67 grams a day; I should be able to eat that but I'm not quite there....well that's all for now.

I'll write again soon.

It's been a while

I truly don't think anyone reads this so I'm not that consistent in writing. But, I need to remind myself that this is as much for me as it is for anyone else. I'm 11 months post op and although I researched my choice for WLS for a couple of years, I still did not quite know what to expect until I started living it.

Easy way out, this is not. I haven't had any major complications but it is a lifestyle change. Coming up on my 1 year anniversary, I just want to share a few things that I don't particularly like about my DS.

1. the bathroom experience
2. my hair loss
3. my inability to consume enough protein

I can't think of anything else that I just don't like. I've manage to steadily lose weight. I'm down over 100 pounds and I look like a different person so everyone say. I am planning to take Christmas family pictures for the first time and I'm really excited about that.

I'm so excited that I will have two week off for Christmas vacation, it's mandatory and I'm so excited about the break. Yay!!

I wear a size 10 and mostly medium size shirts. I have purchased 2 coats and both of them are medium. I'm ready to be done losing weight. I need to build muscle mass. I use to be really muscular. I'm not that flabby...just in the most common places, arms, thighs and tummy. No plastics for me. BMI is still 26+ which means I'm still overweight, so I need lose another 10 lbs.

Happy Labor Day

This has been a great year. I am 3 days away from my 9 month anniversary. Things are going well. My 2 sisters and I went to Kennesaw Mountain this morning; we walked to the top and back down again. It was exhilarating. I always enjoy that walk even though it's challenging for me.

It's been a relaxing day and I've truly taken the holiday weekend off. I will probably sign into my office email in an hour or so to get ahead of my email before tomorrow but all-in-all I was able to rest, which is long over due.

Nothing new on the weight loss front. The weight has been slowly melting off. I'm a size 12 but not for long. I'm down 102 lbs from my highest weight. Only 6 lbs to go before I meet Dr. Smith's weight loss goal for me. But, that's not enough for me because I truly want to be considered a normal weight. Although, I look fine; according to the charts, I'm still considered to be overweight. When I would read this on other people's blog, I didn't quite understand it, but I understand it now.

Last night at a church dinner, someone cornered me about my weight loss. I haven't really told that many people at church because I don't want to discuss it with everyone and I think I don't want people discussing me. I guess I shouldn't care, but I do. Anyway, this woman was trying to make me tell her how I loss weight and I refused and she got mad at me. Here's what she said to me "I have to know what you are doing, you look so good that you can stop traffic". I laughed at her and told her the change couldn't be that drastic but she said "believe me it is". This is a lady that I consider to be "skinny" so I was totally shock to hear this from her.

I still can't help but think about how invisible I was prior to the procedure. It literally brings tears to my eyes at times. Now, I'm trying not to hide and that's still difficult for me, but having a 7 year old forces me out of my comfort zone.

I read another person's blog talking about making a difference everyday we wake up and that is truly my desire in life, but sometimes it's easier to just operate in reactive mode. I am striving to do better and to make sure I tell my friends and family how much I love and appreciate them. I don't want to take anyone or anything for granted.

I know my hair loss has decreased and I think it has stopped totally. I will continue to take Biotin 5000 mg and get protein conditioners for my hair. I can finally see improvement. Now, I need to tone up my body. Since, I've been losing weight so slowly I'm not really flabby, just a little flabby. My thighs and arms need the most work. I hope I can just exercise and not have to have plastics. I just prefer not to have to go under the knife again if I don't have to. It's not an issue for me right now since I'm only 8+ months out.

Two more non-weight loss challenges are work/life balance and my budget. I'm making strides to improve in both of these areas. However, I feel blessed in spite of the present challenges that I have now.

Enjoy your holiday!

It's Saturday

Well, I'm sitting here because a storm hit and we lost power: I'm using my laptop until the battery dies. I decided to write a brief update. My weight is down to 171 lbs. I'm almost in the century club, just 3 more lbs.

Last Saturday, my daughter and I went to six flags white water with one of my friends from work. I thought I would feel self conscious in my bathing suit, but I slowly got comfortable walking around. There were 2 favorite moments for me:

1. My daughter and I got on same donut on the water ride. While floating, I thanked God for the opportunity to be able to do this. I couldnt believe the whole thing.

2. My 7 year old daughter pulling towards the waves in the wave pool; the fact that she was able to pull me against the waves amazes me.

It's been a very busy week and we are preparing for back to school here in GA.

Monday is my birthday and I will be 43 years old. For the first time in 8 or 9 years, I'm not obese. I pray that it's a very relaxing day. I don't have much planned but a little pampering. One of my friends told me not to plan anything so I'm not sure what that means. Anyway, I"m blessed and truly grateful for DS.

The race bug has hit me again, I'm thinking about training for the 10k on Labor Day; back in the day when I did local races, this is one race I said I would never do, but I may. I will decide this week because I need to begin training specifically for the race. The race is primary uphill. My younger sister runs track and I asked her to do it with me but she's undecided.

So, we'll see. Anyway, that's all I have to say for now

A New Month

I'm down 94 lbs and I'm 7 months out. I'm so pleased. I've been evaluating my stress factors.

Work continues to be stressful. I've worked at a major computer company for 18 years. This was my first real job right out of college. Corporate America has changed so much since 1990. If you are in Corporate America, I'm sure you can relate to my next statement, "my company has continued to downsize and the work load for the remaining employees seems to increase daily. While I'm grateful not to be one of the ones laid off, there's a lot of pressure.


I'm working on my plan B. For the last 10 years, I've wanted to go to nursing school. Yesterday, I found a nursing program in my area for students who already have a Bachelors degree in another field. It's a 16 month program as long as the pre-requisites have been completed. I know it's a challenging program but it will be worth while if my time comes. I need to schedule some time with an academic counselor to see what I need to do to prepare for the program. I'm hoping and praying for at least 18 more months with my company, so I can pay my car off. I would like to have 20 years of service too.


Anyway, next week is my daughter's 7th birthday and I told her that she is not having a party this year. She usually has a party because she's an only child and it gives her something to do, but not this year. I am planning a special day for her and two of her friends, but I haven't decided what to do yet.

I have not been consistent with my exercise and I so want to do better in this area. It seems like I can eat almost anything now, so I really focus on portion control. I only eat off salad plates to make sure I don't eat more than I need to eat.


I still need to do a beter job of getting all of my supplements in. I'm still working on my hair issues which seems to be improving. I hope I'm done with that.


I'll chat later.

6 month check up went well

It been a while. I had my 6 month check up today. It went well. I am 86 lbs down from my highest weight and 79 lbs down from my pre-surgery weight. Dr. Smith was very pleased. This month has been very stressful from a work perspective, and I've found myself wanting to snack. Luckily I can't eat that much but it definitely re-enforce the importance of dealing with why I eat. I'm still sorting through this, but from what I hear, its a continual process.

People are starting to say that they don't recognize me. I'm not use to the attention I get at church now. Since, I work from home, most of my co-workers have not seen me and I'm afraid to see them, one of my friends and I are going to lunch next week, and I'll have to see how that goes.

I love reading everyone blog and I will try to do a better job of blogging myself. I'm still working through the hair loss. I'm hoping that it will stop now that I'm six month out; and I think I do a better job of getting my daily protein allowance.

Last night my church had movies under the stars and I wore a tank top. Who would have thought this day would ever come. The "wow" is this; I wanted to layer two tank tops but I didn't have the color I needed so I called my sister. My sister is the largest she's ever been in her life and that's a size 10-12. She offered me one and I said, well do you think I can wear it....and she was "well yeah". Imagine that.

Approximately 2.5 years ago, before my Mom was diagnosed with breast cancer, I was training for a marathon. I can't wait to do that again. I plan to start training in the fall for a 1/2 marathon. There's no doubt that I can do it, because I was up to 11-15 miles a week and I weighed about 60 lbs more than I do now. The only thing is instead of walking most of it, now, I will probably be able to run most of it. We'll see how that goes.

This has been therapeutic blogging today. I will try to do it more often

30 days later

Well, I guess I will start by saying that I'm down 71 lbs since my surgery. I don't spend a lot of time worrying about losing weight. I can't get all of my supplements in. Protein shakes/drinks make me gag, so my hair is falling out.

Although, I know these things are temporary, I"m starting to become discouraged. I couldn't even get my labs done last month because they couldn't get any blood. (not even a drop) So, apparently, I'm not getting enough fluids even though I try.

I know it won't always be this way and I hope I can get past this point soon.

One thing I neglected to share is that I reached WONDERLAND before the end of March. HIP HIP HORRAY....I'm excited. I want to purchase clothes but I can't bring myself to do so when I go to the store. I always buy something for someone else, not me. I'm not sure why but that just happened again today.

I'm down to one pair of pants that will be too big in a couple of weeks, so I will have to do something....Anyway, just wanted to provide an update. I hope to post on a more regular bases.

3 Months Surgi-versary

It's been a while. I just wanted to provide a brief update. I'm 3 months out today. I've lost 59.2 pounds. I still have difficulty getting in my supplements and protein in each day. Frankly food doesn't excite me. This bothered me at first but not now.

I'm trying my best not to go bald. LOL My hair is thinning and it "bums me out" because I've always had thick hair. I keep reminding myself that it's temporary and that it will grow back. I also decided to let my relaxer grow out which will make a big difference. I'm not sure if I can do this going into summertime, but I am going to try.

Life is different for me. I still don't have the energy to exercise like I should. I'm hoping to be a member of the century club by the end of March.

I'm glad Spring is on the way, I think I will get out more and enjoy the nice weather. I use to wear 3W in shirts or size 22W in pants. I now wear 16W in pants...so, I only have 2 pairs of pants to wear right now, but frankly it doesn't bother me at all.

I'm looking forward to attending support group again. January and February meetings didn't work out for me, but I really want to go.

So my goals this month are as follows:
1. consistent exercise
2. increase protein intake
3. attend support group meeting and
4. become a member of the Century Club.

I realize that I have more control over the first 3 items than I do over the last one. I'll definitely keep you posted. I hope everyone is doing well!

Staying Focus

It's been a while since I logged in and updated this site. I'm 6 weeks out and I still feel restricted. I don't really enjoy eating which I guess is a good thing but it's somewhat disappointing to me too. I don't have a problem with the fact that I eat smaller amounts of food, I just want to enjoy the foods that I eat.

I'm not getting my supplements in. I'm trying to find ones that agree with me. I found a ADEK from SourceCF that's a softgel and it works well. I'm still looking for a chewable calcium supplement. Right now, I'm not drinking any protein shakes, they make me gag and throw up. So, I'm only getting protein from my foods. I'm getting nervous about that because I don't want to lose my hair 2 months from now. So, I need to have a sense of urgency.

So, the immediate goals are to get all of my water, protein, supplements and vitamins each day. I think I found a calcium supplement that's chewable.

I know it gets better and that's what I tell myself to encourage myself. I want to eat a salad and what really amazes me about this desire is that I'm not a salad person, but I can't wait to add lettuce to my menu. I'm not sure when I can, but I plan to find out.

Well, I don't have anything else to say right now. The weight is coming off even though, I don't have the energy to exercise daily. That's my goal for February; to exercise regularly every week.