Scrapbook Blessings Club

I seem to be having issues lately in seeing my self thinner.  To me, a 1x looks the same as a 4x when I look in the mirror.  I pasted this on facebook a couple of days agao, a good suggestion was to compare photos.  Here are a some to put things in perspective for me I guess. My heaviest @ 324 Me @ 280- 260 Me @ 250-230 Me @ 220 I just needed to see this!

It took me a little while but I finally did it!  I have lost 100 lbs to date!  I have 54 lbs to go to my goal of 170.  I just have to remind myself that is is not a race but a journey, and I'll get there eventually! I started this journey at 324lbs, wearing a size 30/32/4x clothes.  Since then I have gone down to 18/20/2x clothes with those starting to get a little big.  I wore a size 16 skirt and 1x shirt to church last sunday.  I really never thought I would see those sizes again in my lifetime.  Clothes really depend on the style.  I'm big breasted so I wear 2x shirts and some 18/20 button downs are still tight.  We had a clothes drive at chruch last month. I donated 6 lbs of clothes from just me, along with 6 more bags from the rest of the family.  Talk about losing a whole wardrobe!  I told hubby today I'm running out of clothes, he just smiles. Speaking of my hubby, he is sooo supportive.  He tells me every...

I've lost 90 lbs, and I have 100 followers now on my scrapbooking blog!!!!! Yeah!!!! I want to shout it from the top of the Empire State Building (waiting for 100 before I go to the moon to shout it, lol)!!! I was thinking some blog candy is in order and motivation for me. I'm gonna keep posting my wt loss updates until I hit 100 lbs. Everyone who comments on these posts until then will be eligible to win the candy. I'm thinking gift certificate from Michael's along with some other goodies!!! One for you and one for me :)     You can leave your comments on here and on my scrapbooking blog ScrapBook Blessings   for more chances to win.

My stall finally broke!!!!  It has been two weeks of jumping between 240-242lb.  I was so excited to 239 this morning!  It has been very frustrating and before, I would have said "chuck it, I'll eat what I want", but with WLS, I counldn't do that and that alone is worth going through surgery. I went shopping yesterday at Fashion Bug.  It was very exciting to not have to go to the 3/4x racks.  I took a moment just looking at them.  It was a surreal moment.  I took a bunch of 2x shirts in with me and guess what?!?! Some of them were too big, "what the heck, noway!"   So my next trip I took both 1/2x!  Some fit, most didn't but it was great to be able to try them on. The other thing I saw was the dreaded bathing suits.  But you know what?  I don't think I'm dreading them this summer.  I say that now, we'll see when it comes time to putting them on, lol!

I'm finally getting to the down ward slope of this journey. Today is my 3 month appt since surgery. I weigh 240 lbs! I was in college the last time I weighed this much! The weigh does seem to be slowing down but luckily, I take my measurements. So even if I don't see the pounds coming off, I see inches and my clothes fit better. My goal is 170 lbs. I think that is achievable and realistic for me right now, so I only have 70 more lbs to go. Yep, that means I've lost 84 lbs to date with 51 of them being after surgery. When I started this journey, I was wearing 30/32/4x pants and shirts. I now were 18/20/2x sizes! Can't wait to get to the 14/16s!!! I'm also exercising every other day at my mom's/ She has a Gazelle, recumbent bike and tread mill. I do 15 min on each. I'm even at .82 miles on the treadmill in 15 min. My goal is a 15 min mile! I don't feel comfortable exercising at the gym by myself yet. I feel like everyone is watching and compa...

This is a question that I get from some people. And the truth be told, not everyone know that I've had surgery. There are some in my family that are not supportive and would only ridacule and talk about me, in front and behind my back. Do I want to lie and say, "Oh, just diet and exercise." No and I have shared my process with people who care about me and who asked for help.  Here is an answer that I gave in an email to a family member who asked. This is everything that I do, the only part that I didn't add was that my stomach holds 6-8oz of food at one time. This volume will fill me up and keep me full for a couple of hrs. Also I don't have an appetite, due to not having  100% of the Ghrelin hormone that produced in the stomach.  Also, if I eat slider foods ie: ice cream, chips, dips, crakers, chocolate, etc, I can eat more than 6 oz, and I will be hungry shortly. I still fight with head hunger but thankfully that seems to be around my period. Lol, Thanks! I'...

Well, I got on the scale today and it read 246!  I've lost 78 lbs ( 45 lb) since surgery on Oct 25th.  So that mean I have 76 lbs to go before I reach my goal of 170.  Don't have that many before pics, wonder why??? lol Here I am at my highest wt of 324 Here I am at 312 Now I've lost 78 lbs!  I feel so blessed.  I was able to go through my clothes and have donated 5 garbage bags full, and God is still providing for me :)   I think today, I finally realized how much I lost.  I was trying on clothes and mom wanted me to try on a size 18.  I was like, no way!  My butt is tooo big and I'll rip them.  She laughed and said to do it anyway.  And THEY FIT!!!!  I was over the moon and then we took today's pictures, and I'm in shock.

Well actually, I had two ah-ha moments, one before surgery and one after. My wake up was our vacation in July of this year. We went to a beach and shared a condo with family. My husband and I slept on the pull out sofa for two nights. I just wanted to die! The pain I felt in my back, hip and legs was unbearable. On the last night, he went and bought an air mattress but the damage was done. I was in full- blown pain. Hubby went and got me some pain meds but all he could find (that I wasn't allergic to) was a night time one that made me drowsy and loopy. So here I am, at the beach, under the umbrella, feeling like Shamu, watching my family members play with my kids. I felt so helpless, useless and fat! On that beach, in NJ, was the moment I promised myself that I was gonna get myself under control before I died and let my family without at wife and mommy. When we got home, I called the Bariatric Center at my hospital and the rest was history. Everything just came together. God was di...

Almost 2 months out for me and I've lost 33 lbs since surgery, which was Oct 25 (figured I would update now because next week will be CRAZY!!!).  I weighed in at 258!!! So I'm in the 250s now, very excited!  When I first started, I wore a size 30/32, bra size 50H, panties 12 and shoes 10 1/2, sometimes 11. Now I am wearing 22/24 tops, 22 reg or 20W bottoms, bra size 44DDD, panties 10 and shoes 9-9 1/2!!!  I can't wait for the next two months!!! I am a bit of a scale junkie, get on daily but only record my losses.  I also set mini goals for me. Like the first month, I wanted to lose 20 lbs.  Goals work good for me, gives me something to work towards.  If I don't met a goal, it gets me back on track, and I can analyze what happened and learn from it.  My next goal, well actually I have three :)   First, I want to be 255 by Christmas, only 4lbs away now.  Second, I want to be 250 by the end of the year, 9 lbs to go.  Thi...

This is the best decision I have ever made for me and my family. I am 5 weeks out and lost 25 lbs as of today (266 lbs)! That makes a total of 58 lbs lost after my pre-op diet starting Aug 1st (324lbs 4 months ago). I started with 30/32 pants and shirts, 4-5x shirts, 50 DDD bra, 10 1/2 shoe. Now I am in 22/24 clothes, 2-3x shirts, 44 DDD and get this... a size 9 shoe and high heels to boot!!!!! I am a shopaholic, lol. The biggest thing that I am over the moon about though, is that I am pain free!!! I've had hip, back, leg, joint pain for the last 5 yrs. I have so much energy now and have been able to play on the floor with the kiddos. I was also able to cook and host Thanksgiving dinner and it wasn't until the end of the night that fatigue set in but I felt so productive. I was running circles around hubby. Oh and I was able to help weed, rake leaves and hang Christmas light with hubby. This is the first time in a long time that I didn't feel guilty that he was doing everyt...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM ME TO YOU AND YOURS I can't believe that today makes one month after surgery. I have so much to be thankful for! First, my God and family, they have been my rock though all of this. Second, for this surgery and how it has changed my life in just this short time. I have had no complications with surgery or even recovery after. It seems very surreal right now, like did I really do this, but I look at the scale and see 24 lbs gone, look at my closet and see all the 30/32 size clothes gone along with most of my 26/28. I eat 3 oz of soft foods and feel full. It has become a neccessity not a way of life or enjoyment. I'm rediscovering how much fun it is to play with the kids or even do yardwork with hubby and not have pain or feel guilty that I can't help him. I could go on and on of how much more I can do now. And do you know this best part? This is just the beginning!!!!! So today, I am a very thankful woman, enjoying the blessing that I have been given....

I went to the Dr for my two week follow up which is actually 18 days, but we won't go there. My labs are perfect (very early yet) and I'm getting water, protein and vitamins in no problem. I weighed in too and wanted to do the happy dance. I lost 15.5 lb since surgery on Oct 25th and a grand total of.... Wow!  I've lost 50 lbs from August 1st and that doesn't count loosing the extra water weight from surgery.  The nurse said they wanted 10% the first two weeks and I was at 11% (which is 274lbs).  She also said I can expect to loose an additional 40-50 lbs in 3 months!?!?!?!  My mind is having a hard time wrapping around that one!  That would put me around 225lb and the last time I saw that number was in college. I'm also on the next stage of my diet.  I can eat soft, pureed foods.  Protein has to be first, 6 sm meals which are 3-4oz, over 48 oz water and exercise (I love my Wii Fit). We went out to eat tonight, too.  That was an experience, a "fre...

I can't believe its been a week already!!! Time goes by fast when you are having fun, lol. Monday was surgery, I was out of it all day, Woke up in my room and hubby said I was hitting the morphin pump every 6 min, lol. Tuesday, I was still on that morphin pump, It was my hospital BFF, lol. Started to get up and walk and it was very uncomfortable. I like walking at night. It was quiet, no people or other obsticals on the floor and I got some one on one time with nurses and they would walk with me, keep ing my mind off the pain. Wednesday was my downhill hump day. The nurses didn't know much about sleeve patients. I had a nausea patch on the one of the nurses took off of me whn I was sleeping. They then told be to get up and walk but I wasn't feeling good. My mom was helping me and I started dry heaving and trying not to throw up. My husband and mom where yelling for help, nuirsing running, mass confusion. My husband asked where my patch was and the nurse said she...

I got home around 6:00pm. yesterday. I was able to rest ( hospital should have a sign posted...Thou shalt not let thy patients sleep)!!! On Monday, we got the hospital at 5 am and got my iv and all the other goodies to get me ready. Surgery was at 7am. I remember sliding off the gerny onto the operating table. They put compression blow up thingies on my legs, tied my arms down and put the mask on me. Next think I remember is waking up in my hospital room. ( slept through the whole recovery room episode) The staff were very nice but some were clueless, they kept referring my as a RYN pt not a sleeve pt. We had a lot of pt education these last couple of days, lol. Dr said everything was very smooth, liver shrank down and they didn't have to jostle my insides around. -Here is what I noticed: -I have no appetite -I made them order me a binder, I walked much better with one on, the JP drain didn't feel like it was being tugged on. -Sipping is much easier than I thought. I ha...

Ready, set... Well, the time has finally came. This is the day that God has decreed in my life, and I am walking in it. Psalm 118:24 This is the day which the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. I'm off with hubby, we have to be at the hospital at 5am and surgery is schedule for 7am. When I wake up, I will be headed to the losers bench for once and for all. Oct 25th is a new day for me, it's the first day of my new life.  I weighed myself this morning and too my measurements.  I'm 286, that's 38 lbs lost pre-op! I am not naive to think that magically I will lose all my weight and life will be all hunky-dory. What I know is, I am given a new chance, a new "tool" that can "help" me keep my weight off. Ultimately, I am in control of what I put in my mouth and how I use this tool in the future. I just thank God that I have the opportunity to do so.

Almost Go but not yet! It has been a very busy day. I manage to get everything I need after surgery. Now I just have to make a list of what the kids will need when I'm in the hospital. I also had a date night with hubby. We went to a fancy place with dinner music and all. I splurged for my "last" meal! Half a chicken breast, half a baked potato, a roll and three bites of a gooy, yummy dessert. It was so nce talking with hubby, we got a lot out about our fears about surgery. We both in a good place. We went to see a movie afterwards, held hands the whole time. We don't do a lot of that with three kids, 5 and under, lol. When we got home there was a message on the machine. Hospital called and they changed my surgery time from 9am to 7 am. I have to be there at 5 am. All the butterflies came back, lol. Here's to 2 more days left!!!

I have to give a big WooHooo! I'm at 289lbs, that 35lbs lost!!! I'm doing really good following the low fat/low carb diet. I am feeling a little limited in my food choices though. I could use some great recipes. I had a very surreal moment today too. I love reading all the posts on the VGS board both good and bad and everything in between. I love giving encouragement and praying. Hugs and prayers have been my tag line, Why? Because I wish I could just reach out and give you all a hug to let you know I'm there for you, and prayers because, well, that's what I do. I believe if you talk the talk then you walk the walk too. But until know, it's always been the "other" people. It finally dawned on me, "This is going to be me this time next week " By 12:30 next Monday, I will have my sleeve, be in my room, learning all over again how to eat and begin with a fresh start in life. I have to be at the hospital by 7am and surgery is 9 am. Oh man, all I ...

I am very pleased with myself tonight! My sister had her 6th annual Harvest Party. There were a ton of people there who brought a ton of food. Soups, chowders, chicken and biscuits, pumpkin pie, apple pie, donuts, smores, and on and on! I brought all the beverages. (Still having pain from gall bladder surgery on the 5th) So here I am with all this food, knowing 1. I can't eat large amounts and 2. I can't eat 80% of what is there and still be on track for my next surgery on the 25th. So I said "Self, you can do this. You want to be healthier more than you want that pie." So I had a bowl of bean soup, a scoop of turkey sloppy joes and my water. I balanced my bowl on my plate and put the meat next to it. It looked like I had a lot of food. Then mingled while I ate. This helped me eat slower and get full faster.  So, this party tonight kicks off the holiday season for us.  But you know what?  I really think I'm going to enjoy these holidays!  I can spend le...

There are so many great blogs out there! And I found another one at All the Weigh.   She posted this great questionnaire she found, and I thought to do it on my blog as well. It is not always easy to put yourself out there, but I hope I can inspire someone like I have been.  Feel free to post on your own blog post. If you do, let me know so I can drop by :) 1. What was your highest weight, what do you weigh right now and what is your goal weight?  (sigh)  My highest weight was 325 lbs.  ( I was/am carrying another person around with me)  I weight 294 lbs right now.  I've lost 30 lbs to date.  My goal weight is 175lbs.  Why? Because with that weight...  it is attainable, I will be out of the plus size clothes, I will wt less than my hubby, anything smaller than that will just be gravy :) 2. What is your #1 motivation for losing weight?  My husband and children are my motivation.  They deserve a mommy/wife who isn't just trying ...

AAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!! I made 30 lbs!!!! I can't believe it! I'm down to 294 today and doing the happy dance. I set a goal to lose 30 before surgery, now I think I'm going to up to 35lbs. I keep thinking of Dory on Finding Nemo . remember the scene where she keeps sing "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming". I say "Just keep losing, just keep losing"! In this post HERE , I wrote about how I lost these pound and all the tips that I am learning from the nutritionist. I thought of another one today. FAST FOOD!!!!! I work in Home Health and 95% of the time, my lunches consisted of going through the drive thru and picking up "something small". Well, I haven't been to a fast food place in a month. I went on the dr's diet to shrink my liver two weeks before my gall bladder surgery. Now I'm going on two weeks after surgery, and I'm here at home not able to drive. That is a big NSV for me. My other big NSV is that I haven...