Almost 2 Months Post OP

Wow, time sure does fly! I just had my two month followup! (Well almost!)

The Doctor said I was healing well and that she was very impressed with my weight loss. On the Doctor's scale I was 344 Which  according to them is 68 Lbs gone forever! I do like my sister's scale better which is about 4 lbs off which puts me at 340.. LOL 72 Lbs gone FOREVER! bye bye! My BMI is also has gone down 11 points, from 70 to 59! Woohoo

The Doctor also said I was in the "upper percentile" for WLS Weight loss! Whatever that means I will take it! I have been devouring protein like crazy. I do have a hard time with vegetables though. :( I tried eating some salad today and couldn't do it. BOO. I love salad!

As for my body changes, it is bazaar. I feel the difference when I wear my clothes but I guess I don't really see it until I see a side by side photo! I guess how I looked before is how I thought I looked always! Today a customer asked me out of the blue if I had lost weight, when I told her what I had lost and my situation she was over the moon with praise!

I have been taking the compliments well, no hardships there. I kinda enjoy it actually. I cant wait to lose my first 100 and see how I look after that! I know thats only 30 pounds from now but hell, 30 pounds is a lot!

I was telling someone the other day, I can't even imagine lifting 70 lbs and carrying it around. And I was carrying that weight around everyday! No wonder my back and feet were ready to pack their bags and go!

Energy wise I am doing better but still no Gym consistency  I think I just need a full time work out buddy. My sister has just been so busy with school and work, plus I am too cheap to buy a gym pass. I know Crunch does the $10 special but I do not want to be locked down for a year when we are going to be moving soon.

Ahh yeah! Anyway, bedtime. I just wanted to go ahead and update! Thanks everyone for their continuous support! Lots of Love

Amy

The END of my "Vacation"

I guess there is life outside of our condo!!! This is my last weekend of "freedom!" Monday I go back to work. I am a little excited just because I know thats when my weight loss is really going to kick off! I have been in a stall for two weeks and it has not been fun. Even though your weight has not changed does not mean your body is not! Yesterday I put on a pair of pants that were marked a 26 and they zipped!! WHOA.  Also bought a shirt in a 3x and it also fit!  (These both are going to be my back to work outfit!! LOL)

My energy level is about a 7 / 10. Hoping that this will increase with my activity increase. You can only be so energetic laying around the house all day. I am also on full solids. Nice!!! Although my eyes are definitely bigger than my stomach. 4 oz (Which is about a 1/2 cup) is my max! 

I am currently in search of recipes that I can cook in the crock pot, and recipes of items I can take to work. Has to be easy to reheat since I obviously do not have a kitchen at work. Plus working @ the mall there is a lot of tempting crap that I do NOT need to indulge in! (Although the Subway they so conveniently put in before I left does not help one bit! )

In other news, Mark is finally one step closer in getting back to "normal" with his knee! He is scheduled for surgery on Wednesday. He will be out of work for a month, so It is almost like him and I traded places. Lol. So please if you could think happy thoughts for Mark!!! <3 <3

Anyway, thats my update! I will update again after I start work!

<3 Amy

What a month will do!

Here we are.... a month out. Crazy how things happen. Slowly I am feeling like myself. I just wish I could feel the energy that I had pre-surgery.

So, this last week I have been in a stall. Not sure it is because I weighed myself with jeans on or what but I weighed myself on Monday, and lost nothing. Today I weighed myself and lost 5 lbs. Soo hey, I am just going to weigh naked from now on! Hahah (Sorry for the visual)

So, As of today I am down a total of 67 lbs, 35 from surgery day.
So in honor of the 35 Lbs I have lost in 30 days, I am going to write 35 things that I cannot wait to do when I lose the weight!

1. Start a family
2. Ride a bike
3. Cross my legs
4. Play on a softball team
5. Go to a Kings game and sit in a regular seat
6. Go on a trip in an AIRPLANE!!
7. Renew our vows - in a waaay smaller wedding gown.
8. Get a Disneyland pass with my sister
9. Buy a bathing suit
10. Buy an outfit from H&M
11. Wear high heels
12. Go to Magic Mountain and ride all the upside down rides!
13. Go skiing
14. Run a mile with out stopping
15. Sit in a booth at a restaurant with out feeling squished.
16. Take a new drivers licence photo
17. Do a cartwheel
18. Go Ice skating
19. Do the Mud Run
20. Have my husband pick me up
21. Buy bras that ACTUALLY fit
22. Get back into theatre
....Dang I know there is a jillion but I am brainfarting like whoa!

So instead of 35, you get 22! I tried dangit.

Everyday I learn a little more about myself. These past 4 weeks have been a battle for sure. I am just ready to get this show on the road!!!

Week 3!!!

Just to think, 3 weeks ago I was getting ready to have my surgery, writing this blog which has touched so many of you.

I am officially on "soft foods" can I get a WOOHOO!!!! Tonight I made this :

Italian Pasta-less Turkey Bolognese







It was DELICIOUS!!! Even though I could only eat about 3-4 regular bites of it... hah

So how am I feeling three weeks out? I would love to tell you that I feel 100% but I sooo don't. I went to my first post-op appointment on Friday. Doctor took me off work for two more weeks. He told me that some people just get their butts handed to them after surgery and it takes about 6 weeks to feel "Normal."

My energy level is about a 5 out of 10 on a good day.  By the time I wake up, catch a shower, get dressed I am POOPED. I am trying to stretch myself a little more everyday. I need to get OVER this, I can't let it hold me back from my ultimate goal.

Tomorrow I am going to go walking with my sister. It is my first "official" work-out session. I am nervous but I am ready.

I have not weighed in since Friday. I weighed in down 24 lbs from surgery, 56 lbs overall from my highest weight. My doctor was very pleased with that. I know I could rock some serious numbers once I get up and move around.

My next big scale goal is 100 Lbs. I would like to lose that by Christmas. So only 44 more pounds to go! Which is fine, because 44 is my favorite number!

I am starting to really feel the difference in my clothes. My work pants that I always wear to work are baggy in the butt and the legs where before they were tight!  Also my shirts have a lot more room in the tummy area. I would like to be a size smaller in pants when I go back to work in October! Hey! Why not!

Well, thanks for reading up on me. Wish me luck tomorrow! GOTTA START SOMEWHERE!!!

- AMY

※10 days out... and 50lbs GONE!※

So today I am officially ten days out. How am I feeling? Well the soreness is dying down, I am able to get up and out of bed with ease, and I can drive!!! I know I am still healing but its nice to almost feel normal for a change. Yesterday was the first day I got dressed and left the house. It was nice but I think I over did it. I was really sore when I got home and BEAT.

So yesterday was a victory of all sorts. When I started my journey to sleevesville I promised myself that I would not be obsessed with the scale. I know of many people who weigh themselves everyday and I am not going to do it! So needless to say I have not weighed myself since surgery, so when I went to my folks house my sister really wanted to get me on the scale. So here we go..... 361! Which means I have lost 19 lbs from surgery and 51 lbs overall! WHOA!

I am a little skeptical, however my sisters scale has never been real off from the doctors scale so thats pretty good! Next Friday is my official post op appointment so I am eager to see what his says. The change is starting to really be physically noticeable. I wish I had a looking glass into 4 months from now because I am dying to know what is underneath all this blub!

Onto the next topic, the luxurious post-op diet. So since I am in the first two weeks of this I am still on liquids. I can 100% say that I am SO tired of them! I caved and did eat a fluffy egg (Milk +Egg scrambled). It was so good.  Yesterday I had a jonesing for Campbell's tomato soup... yummy! It was a nice subtle change of pace! Hopefully when I have my doctors appt. he will release me into purees and softy foods. Which I'm sure will be wwwooonndddeeerrfulll!!!!

 Hopefully this weekend I will start posting some before and after journey photos. I kind of wish I took some full body shots when I first started this journey back in July. CRAZY.

Anyway, thank you everyone for your continuous support!! Its amazing and I feel so lucky!!!

<3 AMY

4 Days post op

WOW! Where did 4 days go? Today is my first official day being home! WOOO!!!! Im trying to get my 64 ounces of fluid in, which is hard when you are NOT thirsty or hungry. Plus my belly sounds like an oompah pah band!!! Move on over Justin Beiber, Amy's belly is here to rock out!

I want to go ahead and thank everyone for their overwhelming support! It was amazing to wake up to all that.

So everyone wants to know how surgery went? IT WAS FREAKING HARD!!! Ok, I admit, I am a little bit of a sissy lala but honestly it didn't feel real until they wheeled me away from my family and into the holding area. I was my usual self, making jokes to the nurses. I think I was the only sane person there.

After I met with each member of my team the took me into the OR. The Nurse and I were laughing about how small the operating table was... He was hooking up all my fluids and strapping my arms down. I kind of remember the anesthesiologist saying something and BAM next thing i remember was waking up in recovery. It was so blurry. I remember I kept saying "I'm going to be sick, I'm nauseous, an the most popular UGGGHHH" I honestly don't remember much until about the end of day two.

I do know that throwing up after surgery REALLY HURTS. I was scared. I couldn't imagine the day when I was going to be able to keep something down. All I know is it is going to take me a little while to have chicken broth, im just sayin. LOL

I do have a really funny story. So somehow on night two, in the wee hours of the morning. I unplugged my communication remote. I couldn't figure out how to get a hold of them so I just started hitting random buttons on the wall that I could reach. Now what are my chances of hitting the code blue button? Sirens, VERY LOUD. I think every nurse/ doctor was in my room in 3 seconds. I felt so bad! My nurse came in freaking out. She was like "I just went into the bathroom and was in mid pee when I heard the alarm!!! I WAS IN MID PEE!!!"  Oops! 

I'm happy to not have to be checked on every 4 hours, or that AM blood draw every morning, oh oh and the RESP. Therapist and her damn huff cough. LOL... And I am most happy to be home with my family. Getting up and down is hard but I have such a sweet husband. I think I missed him most of all!!!

Well I will update as things get interesting but right now I am just trying to take it one day at a time! I cant wait to actually chew! LOL

My Second Chance at Life.

In less than 2 hours my life will be changing forever. Some of you already know, but for those who don't, please read this with an open mind and an open heart. <3

For 26 years I have let my size and weight define who I was as a person.

Growing up I as always laughed at, poked fun of and constantly ridiculed for my size. As the years went on my self esteem got smaller and I kept getting bigger.

I would make excuses on why I couldn't do things, but really I was just ashamed of my size. I tried diet after diet , my weight fluctuated but I was still a "Big Girl". Slowly the dreams I had for myself were slipping away.

Lucky for me I had met someone in 2007 who wouldn't let my dreams cruise by. I married him in 2009.

Together we began to make our own dreams and goals. However I was still allowing my weight rule my life. We wanted a family but in my current state that was just not possible.

I had let my weight define who I was long enough. I was not going to let it decide if I was going to ever be a mom.

In 2011 I pursued weight loss surgery. Never in a millions years did I ever think I would do something like this. In my mind weight loss surgery was for the weak and hopeless.

I met with my doctor in February 2011 - I had not seen a scale in years.
401 lbs. Wow, I knew I was big but I didn't know I was that big! I was ashamed of that number. My doctor agreed that something had to be done and supported me in my decision to embark on this journey.

Over the next year I had learned so much about surgical weight loss. It was not just for the hopeless and pathetic. It as only a tool to help you succeed.  It was not going to magically fix me, but it would help me get there.

A whole year had gone by but somehow my file got caught in limbo. Slowly the idea that i was so gun-ho for was disappearing in front of me. I can't let the weight win. I won't let it boss me around.

My hopes and dreams teeter tottered in my mind. I knew what I had to do, It was time for the weight and I to break up.

Few emails and phone calls later I was back on track. This time I was not going to let anything stand in my way. This was MY choice, MY plan and MY second chance.

July 3rd was my consultation appointment with my surgeon. I was so nervous. Scale time again.
412 lbs - Oh My GOD! That evil 400 number again! My surgeon was frank, he told me I was just too large to be safely operated on. WOW, Game changer! I felt like I was kicked in the groin (figuratively speaking) I was crushed.

... But he wasn't finished...

He told me I needed to lose 30lbs to more forward. If I could lose 30lbs then why the heck am I sitting in his office? I felt defeated. He probably could see it written all over my face.

He explained how this was going to happen. Told me that I was not the first person he had told this to. He wanted to make sure there was light at the end of the tunnel. He said it should take me two months, and went ahead and set my surgical date for September 5th. At  that moment he was no longer my surgeon... He was my wake-up call.

I left his office feeling inspired. This time I was going to win! I had to weigh-in every two weeks at the doctors. Suddenly I was no longer afraid of those scary scales! 

Fast forward to present. As I sit here writing this I am indeed 30lbs lighter. It was not an easy battle but I did it and I won.

Slowly my dreams are becoming an obtainable reality. In less than 24 hours I will be having a procedure called a vertical sleeve gastrectomy.

I have not given up, but instead I have taken control of my own future. I have many goals - some big some small, and I am very excited to take you on this journey with me.

Writing this has been very hard. Letting my guard down is scary, but I know 100% that this is the best for me and I WILL be okay.

Currently I am sitting at approximately 380 Lbs. Woohoo!!!  32Lbs gone FOREVER.

Lots of people ask if I am scared about the surgery, the answer is HELL YEAH! But I am more afraid of NOT having it. I do not want to know what would of happened to me if I did nothing at all.

I want to thank everyone who has played such a crucial part in this journey. You all know who you are.

Tomorrow is the big day. Currently I am feeling anxious but ready. I officially feel like a winner and I am so excited to share this with everyone. I hope somewhere I can be an inspiration to someone. It is not right to feel like a prisoner trapped in your own body.

Thank you all for your prayers and well wishes. I will update everyone when I am out of surgery.

Just think the next time you see me you will just be seeing a lot less of me. (And I am totally okay with that!!)

Lots of Love
Amy