AnnieWI

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It's been a crazy few months.  August and September were a blur... suddenly it's October and I'm floored.  

My surgery anniversary came and went without any form of fanfare or celebration.  It snuck up on me.  I attended my 12 month appt a few weeks after the official surgery date and things looked pretty good.  Though my B12 came in lower than we'd like.  I need to work on making sure my vitamins are a priority and get that water in each and every day!  I also need to get exercising more.  

I like the way my body is starting to look WITH clothes on, but OMG... the flabby saggy thing going on when I look at myself in the mirror is less than attractive.  I hope to have plastic surgery in the future... but this will have to wait until after we have children.  

I turned another year older recently and while I've never had a problem with my age, this one felt different.  I think it's mostly about not having kids yet and being 38.  My infertility hasn't been in my control but I would have preferred to be able to work on this sooner than I am now.  My weight certainly delayed tackling this problem.  

I've not been much of a drinker during the last few years, only enjoying an occasional glass of wine or something.  But the last few months I've been in more social situations and the majority of them included alcohol.  
Obviously, having had the surgery, alcohol is NOT the best thing to drink.  The calories, the fact you become drunk so quickly and the terrible way you feel the next day.  
If I'm going to have more than one, I normally try to have a glass or two of water in between having the next.  There were a few times this didn't happen and I was feeling like I could drink like I did years ago.  Other than having surgery, I'm also not able to snap back like I did when I was younger.  Bleh!  Alcohol is bad and not for me.

I'm hoping to lose another 65 lbs by the time my 18 month anniversary arrives.  I've lost about 10 lbs since my 12 month appt so barring any welcomed pregnancy... I think this can be done.  Especially if I stay on track with the protein, add'l exercise, water, vitamins, etc...

Well, it's official.. I'm in the Before & After pictures.  

I'm actually kinda disturbed that the pictures are there... I hate the way I look in the Before picture.  It's NOT about the weight... it's about where I was at and how I was feeling that morning the picture was taken.

My brother died the week before my surgery and I had cried the entire time I was in the shower and I didn't bother to dry my hair.  My face was red and I was sad and angry and terrified about what was supposed to happen to me in the next few hours.

The editors here at OH didn't bother to type in the info I supplied to them about each picture AND they decided to link to my OLD profile here at OH rather than this new profile.  

I guess I would feel a bit better if people who saw the Before & After picture would also see "where I was at" in the pictures.

Needless to say.. I'm a bit disappointed.

ETA: I asked them to remove my Before & After pictures.  It was just too complicated to have my profile page, the information provided and my profile name connected with the pictures... even though I attempted to explain to them the problem multiple times.

I uploaded my 9 month PostOp pictures taken on June 7, 2007 and I also sent in official Before & After Pics to the powers that be here at ObesityHelp.

Did I mention I'm OFFICIALLY down over 100lbs?!  Woohooo!  I guess I did mention this last week in my previous post but didn't make a big deal of it.  So here I am NOW making a BIG DEAL out of it!  

YAHOOOOOoooooooey!!!!

I'm pleased and am anxious for an additional 100 lb loss.

I can't believe how long it's been since I've posted!  I guess life has been busier than I thought.  

I have had a few pictures taken since my 6 month photos and will add them in the near future.

I'm losing slowly but am VERY pleased to note that I'm down 101 lbs since my surgery date of Sept 12, 2006.  That's 9 months to lose this much and was certainly hoping for more, but am happy I'm this far along.

I firmly believe I'm able to eat more than I should.  How much should someone at 9 months be able to eat?  I thought I would never be able to eat much more than a cup of food?  I plan to talk to my nut. in the near future.  
I'm never hungry per se, but allow something small and sweet each day to drive away "over indulgance" and cravings.
I still have problems needing to drink while eating.  I feel if I don't, I'm going to choke.  I am better than I was at this, but am still working on this.
My exercise needs to be built up.  I'm getting more than I used to, but still have problems with endometriosis pain and can't get on the treadmill every day.

The thing I've been MOST happy about is I'm not the biggest person in the room anymore!  If I still am?  I'm not SO big that I always stand out.  Mind you, I'm not at the pool when I say this... I'm dressed nicely and fitting in better.  It's been wonderful.  I'm actually a little smaller now than when I was married in 2001.  (those wedding pics are posted at the bottom of my WLS blog here if you'd like to see)  I'll have to add a current picture to the area below too.

What have I been up to in the last 3 months?  Really, a variety of things have been going on.  There's been knitting, blogging (I now have my own blog), a few classes for sewing and quilting, and spending time w/family and friends.  I became a Big Sister this past Spring to a wonderful little girl who's six years old.  It's been fun!

I'm hoping for a good Summer and more weight loss.  There are a few things we have scheduled and DH is going back on shift in July (I'm not happy about this), so I'm sure it will go by quickly.  Time certainly flies the older we get!  I'm hoping to make the most of each and every day.

DH and I are hoping to have kids in the future and will start trying in the Fall after my one year surgery anniversary.

I had my 6 month PostOp Doctor Appt this past Monday, March 12, 2007 and everything went well.  I stayed the same weight 308lbs from when I weighed myself a week earlier.

My labs came back normal and the BEST part is my cholesterol is way down from 250? range to 188.  That makes me feel really good.... I didn't have high cholesterol until I gained so much weight in the last 4-5 years.

We talked about my being tired all the time, more often than before and it was suggested that I up my fluid intake.  Making sure I get a minimum of 64 oz and work on more than that.  I decided that I also need to adjust my vitamin B complex and B12 and will get some new stuff in the next day or so.

We also talked about exercise.  I was given an exercise band and told to get on the treadmill (or other) 4-5 times a week.

I see the surgeon again in 3 more months for my 9 month appt.  I hope that I am down considerably in weight and more active.

Here is my 6 month PostOp picture taken today, March 11, 2007.  I believe my progress is slow but I am much happier than where I was six months ago! 

6 month PostOp 031107

I tried on some pants in size 26 that were WAY too small on me before surgery and am wearing them here in the picture.  They fit me loosely and are very comfortable.  Mind you.. I was wearing size 30's before surgery.
There are another pair of pants in the same size 26, from another plus-size store that I tried on as well, and I can't quite button them yet.  Just goes to show you how different sizes are from different stores and brands.  Hopefully next month I'll be able to wear them comfortably! 

I have my six month appt with the surgeon's office tomorrow late morning -- I'm anxious to see last week's lab results and weigh in.  I've been feeling really tired the last month or so.. maybe longer?  Anyhow, I'm hoping the lab results come out OK, but maybe they will indicate why I've been so tired.

I'm down to 308lbs -- I'm very happy to be going DOWN rather than UP!   Ticker Factory has a new Weight Chart to show changes that I've incorporated here.

My Weight Chart:







I went to another Support Group meeting tonight held by the surgical center that I had my surgery through.  We discussed HEAD HUNGER and related topics.  I guess it would have been more enjoyable if there wasn't this woman that was SO INCREDIBLY ANNOYING!  UGH@!!!  She drove me nuts!  I'm not sure why she got under my skin so much... but geez.. every time she spoke, I cringed!  
Last month's support group was all about plastic surgery and there was no time to discuss things amongst ourselves.
Oh and we have to pay $10 per visit to this support group!  I can't believe I'm paying to go to a support group! 
I really wish there was a better venue in the area for me to go and talk with people who have had the surgery and we can talk about what we want to talk about.  There's always an adgenda each month, which is nice to get the discussion going and move it along.. but sometimes, it's nice to just talk on our own.  Sigh.

**********

My goal for this next month is to get myself MOVING!  I really need to start walking and/or get onto the treadmill.  I also NEED to cut out the carbs I've allowed myself to indulge in.  And the sweets!  I really want to kick start my weight loss again.  

I go in for my six month appointment next week on the 12th, so this week I need to go in and get my lab work done.  

When I went in to weigh myself with the nurse, I told her about an episode I had this morning.  I was still in bed, just waking up and stretching a little when all of a sudden I started feeling sick.  I ended up having to rush to the bathroom where I got sick.. there was nothing in my stomach to get sick on, so it made it that much worse.  Afterward, I felt shaky and weak.  I eventually made it downstairs to the living room where I ended up going to sleep for a few hours.  I awoke feeling better and ended up being able to eat something but I still felt shaky and weak.  
The nurse suggested I get the lab work done ASAP  and then make an earlier appt if I still felt icky.  
I plan to get my labs done tomorrow, so I can maybe stop in at the end of the week for an appt.

I created a virtual model of me at my current weight of 317 lbs. It's pretty close to what I look like I think!  The virtual picture of me at 250lbs doesn't look much different from the 317lb one... In real life, I hope there is a bigger difference.  I like what I see when I look at myself at 147lbs.  We'll see if I make it to that weight!
 

Today my husband took some pictures of me for my 5 month Post Op pictures -- Comparing them to the last photos that were taken -- I can certainly see the difference.  I'm happy with the visual outcome -- can't wait to see what the difference will be in another 5 months!!

Tonight I went to another support group meeting at the surgery center and there was a plastic surgeon there that discussed different options in his field.  It was interesting, informative and scary!  Why was it scary?  Because of all complications, cost if insurance doesn't cover it and the pain.  I am also afraid of what I'll look like when and IF I get to my ultimate goal and don't have surgery.  The pictures of those people with there stomachs sagging so low, some even down to their ankles!!!  Needless to say it's a scary thought.  

Anyhow -- I did get to weigh myself on one of the scales at the hospital and am down to 317.3 lbs which is really good!  I'm about 3 weeks away from the last time I weighed myself.  

My goal for this next month is to get on the treadmill and omit the sugars.... I'll need to do this if I want to lose faster and be more healthy.