Lexie 84

Send Message

Block

Add Friend

I couldn't copy the pics online from my computer at work so try this link for pics!

http://images.obesityhelp.com/uploads/profile/990264/albums/ 120841/Before.After.jpg

I am 28 yrs. old. I got sleeved on 3/13/2012.

This is my honest journey...my thought process has not always been right...I've made bad decisions but I have also had great success thus far. So I want to share my journey. All of our experiences are different. I will admit the bad, not to justify or encourage the same actions in another person, but to be transparent in what I have done/gone through.

My highest weight I ever remember seeing was 231 but I could've weighed more at any point! When I started the process June 2011, I was 226lbs, size 18/20. I am 4'10". BMI was like a 47, morbidly obese of course. I had high blood pressure, diabetes and sleep apnea. I did NOT excercise. I hate to excercise. I honestly ate whatever I wanted during my 6 month program. I had the mindset to get it all in while I could. I clearly wasn't looking at it as a life changing experience that I should have engaged in so that after surgery it would be a breeze to get to goal and be healthy. I wanted surgery to get rid of my comorbities, not b/c I wanted to be skinny. I never had an issue with being plus size. If i didn't have health issues, i probably would've never looked into surgery. But anyway, I just wanted to enjoy all my favorites in as much quantity as possbile before the physical limitations would take over. I got down to 223 during the 6 months ( I don't know how lol). When I started my two week liquid diet, I was miserable the first week. I went off on my friends b/c they had a gathering one night at my house and ordered pizza and wings. They would not let me have not one bit. I was pissed and went off on them. They laughed me out and kept it moving (great friends! lol) I cheated one time that week by myself and got some Popeyes. I scarfed down 3 wings and fries. I felt so sick afterward, I threw it al up. I was good the rest of time thereafter! Day of surgery, I was 210lbs. They day I went home, I had gone back up to 215lbs from water weight in the hospital. I transitioned smoothly through each stage when I got home. I didn't add foods before I was supposed to. I think I did pretty good with that. However, I hated protein. I'm sure I didn't get in nearly as many grams as I should have during the first few months. However, the weight came off, not extrememly fast, but steadily. I tried to get in the gym a few times each week. I even walked every day during my lunch at work.

Getting into the 4th month, I definitely got comfortable...complacement...lazy. I was burned out in the gym. Started to hate it, had no desire to be there! And now at 7 months out, I haven't been back. I know...horrible, quite sad. I need motivation to start loving to work out. I now need to tone b/c I've become a slimmer person with a muffin top and hanging skin on my back that just doesn't belong. That could have probably been prevented had I stayed in the gym. I have resorted back to some of my fav snacks. I never wanted to feel deprived and I make excuses that it's ok in small quantity ever so often. That could be true with great discipline. But with some sliders, I can just keep on going and going...not a good look!

Some of the good things I think I do well...I try to do protein first every day whether it be chicken, fish, beef or pork. Veggies make me too full quickly, especially lettuce. I eat Greek Yogurt every single day (love it with suguar free syrups, splenda, and strawberries). I do not drink my calories, only water for me (any type of calorie/sugar/carb free mixture). I barely do any breads/pasta/rice. My only carb issues are when I can't deny myself a salty snack of cheetos/white cheddar popcorn or a bite of a snickers! So, outside of that, I think I keep my carbs in a good place...not quite 40 or below but no where near 100 or more. I have no desire to stop at fast food places. (I used to eat fast food everyday, literally!) I still do my daily lunch time walk (about 2 miles in 45 minutes). Calories are kept between 700-1000, depending on the day.

Things I want to change...be more active, working out, toning, reduce grazing and carb loaded snacks, be more on top of taking vitamins daily, and experiement with cooking more high protein meals.

I'm down to 147.5, size 9, BMI is still obese. I'm not even overweight yet! SMH

When I look in the mirror, I see a difference. But I don't feel different. I am still plus size in my head. I don't know if that will every change. My goal is to be 125, size 6. My fam and friends say I must stop loosing so I won't look crazy/sick. They think I should just maintain now. But I want to loose at least 23 more lbs. They don't understand.

Although sometimes there are mean comments on here and people can get really catty and insensitve, I appreciate getting on here when I feel off track. It really helps. I will never be at a place where I have a skinny mind and feel I have arrived. This is mental/emotional/spiritual and everything all at the same time. Just like with any struggle or addiction, the stages of change include relapse. The chance of relapse is the greatest during maintenance, which is why the daily support/outlet of a site such as this is invaluable. I love the motivation and great ideas to be found. I pray we all have a forward moving journey of success, lessons learned and great health!

I must admit, I have been majorly procrastinating the past 2-3 months. My last 6 month visit was at the end of December. I should have had all my other appointments out the way but I was dragging my feet.  Now I am down to the wire trying to get everything in at the last minute b/c I want to get a surgery date now! I guess it was hard to believe this is really going to happen now. My stress test is this Wednesday.  Once my surgeon gets that, they will call me, hopefully by the end of next week, so we can schedule my surgery date. Now this may sound crazy, but, I don't know what surgery I want! I've been planning for VSG, reading up on VSG, and spending all my time on VSG forums. But I am second guessing it now. I'm starting to think that RNY is better for me. My surgeon said RNY for me from the beginning. But I know like 4 ppl who have had VSG in the past year and I just felt like overall, it is safer and more beneficial long term. But what if it's not enough. I feel now like maybe I need RNY. But what if RNY makes me lose tooooo much weight???? ughhhhhh, I'm so confused right now. I keep going back and forth and it's driving me crazy. I wish God could just tell me in a loud deep booming voice what I should do. I only have days to decide now...

I had my psych exam yesterday-it was quick and very light hearted. The doc told me that I was boring b/c I didn't have any issues with me and nothing deep and dark to discuss. We laughed about that. So now on to the sleep study, cardiac clearance and 5 more visits with the nutritionist and then we can submit to Aetna! I met with my PCP yesterday also and I know she is not really on board with this surgery stuff. But she did agree to do my letter of medical necessity and that's all that matters. So I said thank you m'am and kept it moving cause I don't need much more of her opinon on this! LOL

So I had my first consultation on 7/20/2011-I got from it that their program is Pro RNY over anything. The surgeon does them all but due to my diabetes, he was really not for me getting the Sleeve. At first I was doubtful and kinda panicked b/c I'd never wanted RNY. I will stick to my guns though. I want a surgeon who supports my decision wholly. So I went to a seminar at another hospital. I was totally unimpressed by their presentation and was grateful that it was not my first...however, I am interested in working with one of their sugeons there and I'm considering going with him. We shall see...

So after attending the seminar tonight, I decided to make it official and scheduled my first appointment with the surgeon, Dr. Kligman in Baltimore, MD. I'm so excited and I can not believe that the clock is actually ticking now...SO now I'm going to call Aetna tomorrow morning and find out if fed employees can get approval in 3 months instead of the normal 6 months required in MD and with all other insurance plans. I know blue cross blue shield allows fed employees to do 3 months before approval. That would be so awesome. This is like surreal for me now...But I refuse to turn back! :)

This is so nerve wrecking and exciting all at the same time. I made my decision to look into WLS a few weeks ago after discovering that SEVERAL of my coworkers were scheduled for surgery over the next couple of weeks or had already undergone surgery within the past year or more. After hearing their stories were so much like mine, I was motivated to consider WLS and look into starting the process. I would have never considered it before now, but now I feel like, "why not?" I deserve to get rid of these "Co-Morbidities" and to also be healthy, feel healthy, and look spectacular in the long run (I'm already cute! LOL LOL LOL) I went to a seminar at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, MD with Dr. Cantor. It was a great presentation but unfortunately, he only operates on Kaiser patients. So today I am going to a seminar with University of Maryland Medical Center in Bmore (Dr. Kligman and Dr. Lo Menzo. They are doing a seminar near me in Greenbelt. I think I'm leaning towards this hospital anwyay. So the journey begins...