Weight Loss Surgery Directory

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AlyssaMischelle has 6 Friends

stacmn

Heather H.

robinsj24

Neice206

aussie_chick

Careypongo
Before & After

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Goals

Get outta the 300's!

6 People
 in progress, 
10 People
 achieved this

lose 50 pounds!

1 Person
 in progress, 
5 People
 achieved this

lose 10% of my original body weight!

0 People
 in progress, 
1 Person
 achieved this

Exercise a minimum of 25 minutes every day for the next month!

1 Person
 in progress, 
0 People
 achieved this
Surgeon Testimonial

Daniel Smith, M.D.
Upon first impressions Dr. Smith was super nice, I had a little trouble understanding him, he talks fast but very quiet. As I saw him several times it became easier to communicate him, he's a wonderful man! Dr. Smith has done many, many surgeries. He did my mother's surgery 5 years ago, and did mine recently. Dr. Smith's staff is highly qualified and the nurses show great compassion and heart when you need them. Overall, I highly recommend Dr. Smith and his staff at St. Joseph's Innovis Health in Park Rapids, MN. I couldn't have asked for a better team!
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AlyssaMischelle's Blog
AlyssaMischelle's Blog


No aches or pain without some gain! :) (or loss!)
on January 21, 2010 1:29 pm
Smallville-workout day 3 is a success!  I started 3 days ago, and managed to do 20 minutes on the exercise bike, and while I was cycling I lifted 5 pound weights and also put a thera-band around the handles of the bike to add some resistance to my arms.  So 20 minutes day 1, 25 minutes day 2, and now today I made it to 30 minutes!  I can definitely feel the aches and pains in my arms, but... this new exercise has jump-started my weight loss!  

I was feeling discouraged the past week as my scale continuously read 335 for a whole week almost.  Why no loss!?  I know I haven't been exercising as much as I should, but it's amazing how much of a difference these 3 workouts have made!  I got on the scale today and found I lost 3 pounds since two days ago!  Go Me!  I'm pretty excited about the exercise bike, and so thankful to my neighbors for giving me the bike... for FREE!  It's been so helpful, now I just need to keep the drive going with my exercises.  Keep me in check everyone!  I'll update in my blogs how the exercising is going; however, I think I can stick to this workout!  My goal is to work out consistently every day.  I'm hoping to get up to 45 minute work outs since that's how long my Smallville episodes are!  I'll get there eventually.  I'll find out from my doctor on the 27th when it's okay to do 'ab' exercises.  For now I'm just focusing on my legs and arms.  And boy, can I feel the burn!  Feels great!   :)

I hope everyone is having much success in their own personal journeys.  Feel free to send me an email, I love to chat, share ideas, and just be some extra support if you need it!  :)  Much love and hugs to everyone!
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Smallville Workout!
on January 19, 2010 4:21 pm
Soooo, my wonderful neighbor downstairs mentioned that he had an exercise bike up in the attic and if I wanted it, it was mine!  (I live in the upstairs of a duplex, so by neighbor, I mean the lower level tenants!)  It's a schwinn, great quality, it's a bit older, and a little noisier than I would like, but despite it all i'm absolutely thrilled!  :D  I've been looking around on craigslist and want-ads for exercise bikes for a reasonable price.  (Having just had surgery, being a poor college kid, and having no income for a month doesn't really leave me with money to throw down on an exercise bike).  So how absoluteyl perfect is it to get an exercise bike for FREE!? 

Anyway, Workout #1 started tonight.  It didn't last as long as I had hoped; however, I am happy that I did manage to go a full 20 minutes pedaling, and also got a good arm work out in!  (I lifted weights for 15 of the 20 minutes and can definitely feel new muscle that has been unused in my arms... and... it feels FANTASTIC!  

To pass the time, I watched Smallville while I did my workout.  Tom Welling's abs are a nice inspiration and the title of the tv series is quite fitting:  Smallville... which is what I'm on my way to!  :)  I have 7 seasons of Smallville, and each season has like 24-26 episodes so if I did an episode a day (about 45 minute-episodes) I'll get to watch the seasons and get a great workout!  :)  Anyway, I'm excited for this workout and hopefully it'll jump start my weight loss again!  I'll be keeping updates!  :)  

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New Friends. :)
on January 16, 2010 11:50 pm
I've been so happy with Obesity Help and how comfortable I feel talking to people on here.  Glad to see the group I started 'Recipes for the Skinny Girl Inside' has started blooming more!  :)  Sending shout outs to Heather, Robin, and Stacie.  You three girls are amazing and an inspiration to me already.  I love talking (emailing) to you girls and you have no idea how much you have helped me.  It's amazing how just talking to others who are going through what you are helps you to solidify your decision to get the surgery.  Talking to these girls has helped me feel more confident in my decision with the surgery and has also helped me to gain more confidence in myself to relate to others like me.  

Sometimes it's difficult not having a 'big' support system around.  I struggled with my boyfriend not supporting me, and my biggest support system is my mom, but she lives 5 hours away.  Though Matt has become much more supportive, and active in grocery shopping and finding things that will work for me, it's hard to relate to him.  (He's tiny!  haha)  Matt has never understood the pains and struggles of being overweight.  He has never experienced social humiliation from a small child pointing out how big he is.  Matt hasn't had aching pain in his knees and back because his bones carry too much weight from his body.  There are so many more things I could list that Matt has never experienced and could never understand my feelings about these situations.  He's a wonderful person, and I love him very much, but as far as surgery, and this part of my life goes, it is hard for me to relate to Matt.  This site has been so helpful to me, and I love being a part of it.  Once again, thanks to my new friends, you girls mean a lot to me already in the few short days we've known each other!  Hopefully these friendships grow and grow!  Much love and success to you all!  
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New Beginnings
on January 13, 2010 4:41 pm
It's been exactly three weeks now since I went under the knife.  The surgery has already left me 30 pounds lighter!  I had a lot of 'complications' after the surgery, mostly superficial things, nothing internal.  I was allergic to the antibiotics they put in my IV, got an infection at one of the stitch sites, and my body rejected the stitches so I had rashes around all my sites.  :(  I feel somewhat alone in my journey thus far.  My mother had the surgery 5 years ago and she looks great, so I can talk to her; however, I'm only 22 years old so there's things that I'm experiencing that she never had to at her age.  My boyfriend did not want me to get the surgery at all, though he has been fairly supportive thus far.  

I'm getting anxious, and I can tell this already, I need some extra support, which is why I joined this site.  :)  I've been checking the scale too often (and I know this) so when I see no changes I get frustrated!  I'm going to try harder at not weighing myself all the time!  Anyway, 3 weeks out and I'm sick of jello, pudding, and cottage cheese.  Any other ideas?  Hope everyone is on the success route, feel free to shoot a message my way, I'd love to chat!  :D  
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My Story

I feel as if I should have something significant to say here, though like most people, my weight struggle has been on-going for pretty much all of my 22 years.  I joined Weight Watchers with my mother in 7th grade, and though it was a very uncomfortable experience for me (being the only person under age 30 there) it helped a lot, and I got down to 160 pounds.  Unfortunately, with my weight loss I developed gall stones, and had my gallbladder out at a very young age.  Soon after, I gained the weight back...and then some.  Gaining the weight came so easy despite playing 3 sports in high school I just couldn't keep the weight off.  I tried many diets for a couple years and nothing worked.  My mom brought the idea of weight loss surgery to me early on, and I rejected it immediately.  I think I felt if I gave into it, I would have failed and couldn't do it on my own. 

I've had the embarrassing moments at a store when a little kid will point at me and say to his mom, 'Look how big she is.' and I've been called my fair share of names all relating back to my weight.  I even had a girl in high school come up to me one day and say, 'You know, Aly, you'd be gorgeous if you weren't fat.'  Of all these occurrences though, the worst by far happened this past summer.  I was taking a summer class, it was a beautiful day so I walked across the street to go lay in the grass and read up for my class.  Not long after I began reading, a truck full of young males drove by yelling obscenities at me, including: "Look, it's a beached whale!"  and "Go back home so I don't have to look at you."  also with the ever-so-clever "Fat B!tch."  Though I was incredibly embarrassed as everyone else in the park looked at me, I ignored it, held back tears, and continued reading.  Now one would think, the first drive by was enough, but of course, to them it was not.  They drove by two more times yelling more cruel things (though to be kind to you, I won't repeat them) before I was humiliated enough to grab my things and walk home.  Never in my life have I been more hurt or humiliated as I was that day.  That was the day weight-loss surgery entered my mind.  

It seems like a poor choice to base such a huge surgery on some immature teenage boys, but I knew in the back of my mind I needed the surgery to help me get the weight off so I could feel better about myself.  I hope this surgery will help me achieve the goals I want.  I also hope I can help others to be compassionate of other people no matter what they look like.  People and Society think it's okay to poke fun at over-weight people or knock us down but it's not okay.  Help spread awareness and don't let people get away with ignorance and cruelty towards people based on physicalities.  I hope my story reaches out and touches people or that people can maybe just relate, if anyone needs to vent a story or just talk, I'd be happy to get to know you!  Thanks a bunch for reading my story!