Dec 5th- Received appointment confirmation for Orientation on Jan 3rd, followed by Lifestyles 1 class. Also have appointment at surgeon's office Jan 30th to check weight loss for required 10 % pre-surgery.













Jan 13th 2006: Well it's Friday the 13th and a full moon! I have lost 3 lbs in my 1st week. Not great, but then I have not started to seriously exercise. I didn't do water aerobics this week because I was starting to get my period, but then it still has not arrived! I think it is a couple days late because of the shock of the diet. My body is so used to sugar and tons of carbs that it is confused. I am excited about getting an appt to meet with Dr. Stiles in February. That is when I will be told how much I need to lose prior to surgery. I have had 2 nightmares since starting the diet, in which I cheat on my diet by eating something like cake, and then I feel really shitty and bad. I can no longer tell the difference between Splenda and real sugar. I am debating on whether or not to replace 2 meals with protein shakes. They keep me from being hungry so much longer than when I eat solid food. I really need to start exercising seriously. I hope to take my son for a walk after work. It's been so darn cold I worry about taking him out, as he is only 9 months old.


Jan 18th- I started substituting breakfast and lunch with protein shakes and then I have a small dinner so that I have a total of 1200 calories or just under. The diet is a lot easier to do this way for me. Then I think less about food during the day, because I am not hungry. My focus on food is slowly shifting elsewhere. Now I focus on nutritional values and calories in everything that goes in my mouth. Instead of thinking about what I can eat that tastes good to make myself feel happy, I focus on losing weight and trying to build up to drinking 64 oz of water a day, taking all my vitamins, and planning a way to get my exercise in.


Jan 23rd- I weighed myself wearing underwear and socks and it said 314. I am doing really well sticking to the diet. I am surprised that I am not craving sweets. I have been looking forward to water aerobics class since my 1st time last Thursday. I just loved it! I was able to do everything and not get tired until the last 10 minutes out of the hour, mostly because I had to pee, and we were jumping around, which my bladder did NOT appreciate. I felt comfortable in the class. There were people bigger than me, and people smaller. It was nice not to be the biggest in a group. The teacher was really nice and very encouraging. I got water trainers (tennis shoes) at the instructor's suggestion. They are super hard to cram my fat feet into, and they feel like they are cutting the circulation off. My feet are wide already, add the fat and they are super puffy. My hands have been less swollen. I can get them inside the Designer Whey protein canister now. I am not able to get 64 oz in yet. I start feeling bloated and full of water.


Jan 31st 2006- I met with Beth Goodridge yesterday to go over nutrition. I weighed in down 15 lbs from my Orientation weight, so she said that was really good. The scales at Kaiser weigh a lb heavier than the one I have at home, which is actually good. I am anxious to see Dr. Stiles and find out how much more I need to lose and get scheduled for my next classes. Beth wants me to stop having a protein shake for lunch and eat solid food. I grudgingly did so today and had a salad and a small baked potato for lunch. I have had a headache for the last 2 days, but I think it is stress-related from work. Beth did a comparison between what I ate prior to starting my diet, and said I am taking in 1/3 of what I was before, and she was very positive and encouraging. I brought all my vitamins and such, and she said they were the right kinds. She said she thinks Dr. Stiles will be pleased with my progress. I hope to be down another 5 lbs by the 9th.


Feb 3rd- This morning I found out that my appt with Dr. Stiles on Feb 9th has been cancelled. She is very sick, and so all patients' appointments for that week have been cancelled. They aren't rescheduling appts until they find out more on how Dr. Stiles is doing. I am super disappointed. I was looking forward to the next step in this process. The appts desk person could not give me a time frame on how long it would be until my next appt. I feel like I am in limbo. Well, I hope it isn't too long until I get my rescheduled appt. I hope it doesn't delay the process for long. I don't know if it could be months longer, or what the situation is. I am frustrated and anxious.


Feb 9th- Well, my appointment with Dr. Stiles was rescheduled that same day that the first one was cancelled. They called me back later that afternoon and gave me a new appt for March 2nd. I hope to have lost my 30 lbs by then, so she will schedule me to see the surgeon ASAP. I am ready to get AF any day now, and I feel bloated. I still see the scale moving, though. It seems like it stays the same a couple days and then drops down a pound or two. I think I am down to 307 (on Kaiser's scales.) My scale said 308 this morning, and it weighs a pound heavier than theirs. I tried eating food for lunch instead of a protein shake, but it just isn't working for me. I feel better with the protein shakes. I did my water aerobics tonight. I wish they had the class every night! My jeans fit better. (I can breathe in them, heh heh heh.) I am trying to work on thoroughly chewing my food and taking in more water. I am doing well with my daily vitamins. I need to buy more iron.