And my kids have a completely different Mom than they did last year! :) I now down 88 lbs. Only 20 lbs left until my surgeons goal. That being said, I only lost 5 lbs in the last month. I did a little bouncing around from 194 to 190. But once I got under 200 I never went back over it. I dont want to see a 2 anything ever again! I have noticed a definate slow down in the weight coming off. But I am assuming that is normal. My body dropped 88 lbs in 7 months. Thats pretty amazing. No wonder I want to hold on to this last 20 lbs so badly LOL

I have been dealing with some unrelated other health issues as well, so my excercise has slowed down, which I believe is a big contributer to my slower losses. I was having severe head and neck pain along with some tingling in my arm, blurry vision, and numbness in my foot. So after trying out some pain meds, my doc sent me for an MRI. The MRI showed one lesion on my brain, which was enough to start a whole roller coaster of other events. I am going to see a neurologist tomorrow. Its a little scary right now because i have so many symptoms that are pointing towards MS. Auto-immune issues run in my family and honestly, if I do have it, alot of things I have had happen in the past would make alot of sense now. But we will see. Its a very difficult disease to get a positive diagnosis on, so I am ready for a long road of not knowing ahead. Which of course is the hardest to deal with. **sigh** I am happy that I have lost so much weight though. I beleive with all my heart that I will be able to deal with whatever lies ahead health wise much eaiser without packing around the extra weight and bad eating habits.

So I guess thats it from here. My babies are starting 6th and 2nd grade tomorrow. I am excited and terrified for them at the same time. Especially my 6th grader. How can she be in 6th grade????? She was just 2 years old explaining to me how she was "big nuff to go to skoo Momma!" Oh boy. I just might need a tissue tomorrow LOL

I have been getting some nasty-grams reminding me that I havent updated here since March and its now Summertime!

So as of this morning, I am down from 278 lbs to 208 lbs. 70 lbs gone since January 14, 2008. I feel really good. About 38 lbs left to go until my surgeons goal. If I go less than that, fantasic. If not, thats ok too. I feel so good at this point that if I didnt lose a single pound more, I would be ok. My BMI has dropped from 43.1 to 32.6. Still high but such a difference in 5 months! I have gone from a 22 to a 14/16. My energy level is good most of the time. I did find out that I am a bit anemic and my Vitamin D level is a little low. So I am taking Bariatric Advantage Iron pills along with Biotin, Calcium with vitamin D, and Flintstones chewables.

I did start losing hair around 3 months, which is a little earlier, but my doc is contributing that to the lower iron levels along with needing more protien. I have always been very good aout getting 65-80 grams of protien a day, but apparently I needed more. So that has been emotionally hard to deal with. But this week, the hair loss has slowed down quite a bit and I can see little hairs sticking up where they are growing back in. yeah! Go hairs!

I am really looking forward to the warmer weather, camping and spending time at the pool. Its going to be a good Summer! I will try not to let so much time go by without updating again!

If you want to see more photos and keep a little better track of my progress, feel free to Friend Request me at myspace.com! My myspace addy is www.myspace.com/brooklayne

Today is March 25 and I am 10 weeks post-op! Today the scale said 230.4 which means I am down 48.4 lbs. Almost 50 lbs in 2 1/2 months. That takes Awhile to sink into my brain! I have gone from a loose 22/tight 20 to a loose18/tight 16. I actually bought a pair of workout pants at Target from the REGULAR section! They are still XL but they didnt come from the plus size department. I need new scrubs for work. I started in a 2XL pant, quickly dropped to an XL after surgery and now need to pick up some larges ASAP LOL So I am definately seeing changes in clothing. I can feel and see changes in my body too. I still feel fat and hope that I can get past that. The last time I weighed 230 lbs was about 6 years ago. My next goal is of course...under 200 LOL My energy level is definately on the upswing! I used to come home from work and sit on the couch. Then go to bed. Now I go home, play with the dogs, water flowers, make dinner, play with the kids, do laundry, sweep the floor. I feel more human. The only food issues I am having is meat. It is a hard one for me. I can eat ground or shredded meat: turkey, beef, as long as its moist. But chunks of chicken breast, even lunch meat, steak...I have to eat like one bite an hour otherwise it gets stuck and makes a reappearance. Blech. Other than that, food choices are good. I am happy to be on to fresh veggies. Snap peas are my favorite snack right now. I have tried things like corn chips (stupid) and I can eat them, but I just plain dont feel as good when I eat those things. I dont dump but I get queasy. So whats the point? Ohhh....and my husband found the Worldwide Nutrition protien shakes at Trader Joes. YUM! I actually really like them! 35 grams of protein in one 12 oz can. Thats the bomb right now! That may well be the difference between losing my hair and keeping it LOL Only downside is the closest Trader Joes is an hour drive. Aw well. I will try and update pictures here soon. I am bad about getting pictures taken of me! But my 7 year old is usually up for a photo shoot, so I will have to wrangle up his help pretty quick. Happy Spring everyone!

Yes, its true. I am missing 14.6 lbs! since my surgery. However, I do not plan to send out a search party for them. I would prefer they stay lost!

I was cleared to move to Stage II foods. My first taste of something that wasnt a clear liquid was cottage cheese. It was the best cottage cheese ever. LOL For dinner last night, I had refried beans with reduced fat cheese. I also mixed half a scoop of unflavored soy protein in them. I tolerated everything fine. My kids were laughing at my Barbie size portions LOL But it was plenty for me! Which is emotionally wierd, ya know? But it works, so thats what counts.

I am going to make a pot of split pea soup and then freeze it in smaller containers that I can microwave later. And I am going to make the Baked Ricotta recipe that came from eggfaces site. I have been craving that since I had surgery! I also know that it is something that my family will like and I will enjoy cooking something for them again! My hubby has been doing all of that and I feel a bit out of touch with everyone!

So thats my update - 14.6 lbs.

My next appointment is a week from Thursday.