I wasn’t able to enter an 11-month update because my computer has been in the shop for SIX WEEKS!! (Don’t buy an extended warranty from Best Buy… I got it back today and after all that time one of my main problems hasn’t been fixed.)

I’m on my first real plateau, having lost no weight for about six weeks. I was frustrated in the beginning, but I have dropped about a size and a half in clothing during that time - can’t be unhappy about that. The trainer says I’m building muscle and I’m inclined to believe him although with all the excess skin, I have yet to see much muscle! Most of my clothes are size 16 now, but I bought a pair of size 14 pants that fit well and my mom got me a 12-14 sweat suit that fits great! They’re a far cry from my 32-34 clothes of a year ago.

I had some more problems with pain after stopping the Prilosec, so I’m back on that med and doing well. Occasional foods don’t agree with me, but it’s unpredictable. I haven’t had any problem with dumping on anything, but this week I had a major case of diarrhea that the dietician believes is related to a high-sugar food. I discovered Quakes rice snacks that are quite tasty, especially the Carmel Corn flavor. Although it’s low calorie, two of the 1st three ingredients are sugar and corn syrup. I suppose I’ll have to leave it alone and go for the other flavors that are not sugared.

I had my one-year checkup with the surgeon today. She is pleased with my progress and I will go back in 6 months. I hope to lose another 25 pounds, but at the rate it’s coming off now, it might take me the next year.

My lower body lift is approved! I was going to get it done in December since I’ve met my co-pay and deductible, but decided to postpone until May. I think this will be less stressful for me and I will have more time with the trainer to get things firmed up as much as possible.

To sum it up – this has been an incredible year!! I would do it again in a heartbeat! It’s the first time I’ve ever succeeded in my New Year’s Resolution to lose weight… I wish all of you as great a New Year as I have had. May we all be successful in restoring our health and happiness.

Well, it's Thanksgiving Day and I ate like usual, hoping that next year will be much different. I called Tuesday again for my PCP letter and the nurse promised she would check and call me back. No one called and I was pretty ticked! But... low and behold first thing Wednesday morning the letter arrived in my eFax mailbox. I sent if off right away to the insurance company and now I'm in a holding pattern again. I will call Monday to find out my status.

Our insurance coverage is changing so if I don't get the surgery scheduled for 2003, I will have to go to another hospital out of state and start all over again with the approvals. I'm thinking no one in his or her right mind would want to have surgery over the holidays so maybe I will get a spot.

I had my plastic surgery consult this past week. I had him look at all the sags – figured if I was going to embarrassed, might as well do it all at once. We are seeking insurance approval for the lower body lift since I sag all the way around. Inner thighs and arms will be future projects if I decide to do them. Doctor said breast lift would never be covered by insurance, so I will have to decide if it’s worth it. Since I have been obese my whole life, I have never been “perky”. It means less to me than to someone who has just begun to sag…

I finished my six trainer visits and I actually look forward to going to work out now. Who would have thunk it! I am going to continue with the trainer as long as I can afford it. He made me a special offer that is about ½ what I paid the first time. The trainer pushes me harder than I push myself (CAN YOU SAY SWEAT) and makes constant adjustments to the routine to keep it interesting. The distraction of talking with him also makes the time go quickly.

I had another fainting spell this morning. I got up to go to bathroom around 4am and felt dizzy. I reached for the doorknob to steady myself but evidently never got to it. I found myself on the floor, having hit the back of my neck and left side on the edge of an old microwave table that serves as my TV stand. I’m pretty sore and I expect the bruises will by quite colorful by tomorrow. I guess I will discontinue my water pills since my PCP thought that was contributing to my low blood pressure. I’ll deal with the ankle swelling when it comes – I don’t want to risk falling again and doing some serious damage to myself. Maybe it won’t be too bad now that summer is over.

10/30/04

Ten months ago today I had my first consult with my WLS surgeon. I had only been considering WLS since the beginning of that month. What a difference a year makes! At that consult I weighed 331.6 and was wearing size 32W dresses, 34W pants, and men’s 4x sweatshirts. Now, one year later, I wear anywhere from 16W to 18W, depending on the waist, and this week I bought a men’s Medium polo shirt! (I could be wearing a smaller size if I could get rid of the roll of skin around my middle.)

I have gone from exercising 2 or 3 times PER YEAR to using a personal trainer and working out 2-3 times per week. I have to work hard now to get my heart rate to the target zone. I can do several flights of stairs without needing CPR and can even hold a conversation while doing so.

Medically, I am on 3 prescription drugs now as opposed to 10 on the day of surgery. (Two of the remaining RXs have nothing to do with my weight and I will never be able to lose them.) My diabetes is well controlled and I am at the point of needing to wean off my one diabetes med. I have gotten rid of one (of 2) diuretics, Prilosec, Wellbutrin, potassium, Lipitor, one (of 2) diabetes pills, and insulin.

Someone at work told me this week that my personality/attitude had changed a lot this year too. I don’t think I agree with that, although I’m sure I’m a bit more outgoing now. I think the surgery just coincided with my recovery from the depression related to my husband’s death. She met me during the high point of the depression, so I’m sure I appear to be a different person now.

I heard from the plastic surgeon’s office this week. The insurance co. wanted some documentation of “functional disability” related to my excess skin. I wrote a 1.5 page essay and faxed it over yesterday. Hopefully it’s what they are looking for. Unfortunately (or fortunately) I have not experienced the severe rashes that some have. I guess if it isn’t approved, I’ll have to wait a while to have the procedure. I do believe I will go forward with the LBL either way. The other procedures are TBD.

Best of all - as of today's weigh-in at 190, I am NO LONGER OBESE!!! I am merely overweight with a BMI of 29.8.

I went to the surgeon today for my nine-month check-up. She seemed please with my progress except (always!) she wants me to exercise more. I asked about a goal and she wanted to know what I thought. I told her 160 lbs and she said fine. She said the original goal of 130-147 is off the Metropolitan Insurance chart and that a lot of people think they are too low.

There was a bit of disagreement between the dietician and doctor on what I should be eating. I went to the dietician first and asked whether I was eating enough. I average 850-900 cal per day. She thought I should be eating more, striving for 1200 cal! She suggested adding a couple of snacks since I usually don’t snack. When I told the surgeon, she was appalled! She said what I was doing was working fine and that if I wanted to stop losing, I should up my intake. She was pleased that I was still losing about 10 lbs. per month at 9 months out. I guess I’ll play it by ear. Some days I think my metabolism is slowed down because of the low intake and when I periodically increase my calories, I seem to lose better. Maybe with the exercise, that will speed up my metabolism enough to not need more food.

Before Labor Day, I bought 6 visits with a personal trainer. The day of my first appointment, the trainer left town to go to Florida to be with his daughter. Three weeks later he was still not back and they had a new trainer. The new trainer is only working one day per week so I ended up with the club manager who is also a certified trainer. I think I got a better deal than the original. I went today for my first “real” workout after the eval. and I haven’t sweated that much in a long time! I need the push that he gives me. Hopefully after the 6 visits I will have established it as a habit and will continue on my own. I have been going to work out (without the trainer) 2-3 times per week for about six weeks. It’s hard to work it in, but I’m making an effort.

At 198 lbs (unclothed), I am now wearing a size 18W. I also have a few 16W that I can get in to. I am blessed by lots of friends who have given me clothes. My best friend has cleaned out 3 closets so far and I have bags and bags of clothes to prove it. I’m trying to off-load my larger clothes to make room for the smaller ones.

Seven plus months gone and the weight is still dropping off – just slower. For the past 4 months I’ve averaged 12 lbs lost per month. That’s almost 3 pounds per week and I will be satisfied with that or something close. I’m still nearly 70 lbs from the initial goal I was given. I don’t know if that’s a realistic goal and hope to discuss it with my surgeon in September.

Last week I attended a professional meeting in Los Angeles. The hotel where we stayed was ½ mile from the convention hotel. The exhibits were in a convention center across from my hotel, but the center was about 4 blocks long. I wore a pedometer while I was there and put in 2-4 miles per day at a brisk pace. I was not tired due to the walking and seemed almost energized by it. Even walking through large airport with luggage didn’t faze me. I’m finally seeing clear evidence of what that extra 175 was doing to me.

I can eat a lot of foods now without being ill. I did have trouble with roast beef at the meeting. I picked it off a box lunch sandwich and it didn’t agree with me at all! I feel very wasteful when I eat out - especially last week since I couldn’t take home leftovers. My traveling companion did have similar tastes so we shared a lot of meals. I seem to be able to eat more than prescribed without getting full. I don’t get the full signal like I did the first few months post-op.

I bought a new digital camera and some more clothes. At least now with the slower weight loss I get to wear the clothes longer. It’s so much fun to go into a regular store and buy things on sale! Last week I bought mostly 18s and one size 16 jacket. I don’t recall ever being a size 16 – I think I went from chubby girls to women’s sizes. Buying clothes will probably be my main vice when I reach goal, if not before!

08/28/04
I’m nearly eight months into this WLS journey. It has been by far the best thing I have ever done for myself. It’s a real ego boost to have people constantly telling you how great you look. It will go away eventually, so I’m enjoying it while I can.

I quit my membership at the YWCA and the next day joined American Health Fitness. I have an appointment Monday with the personal trainer to set up a program. Hopefully I will hit it off better with this one than I did with the trainer at the Y. At least now I know what to ask for / insist on. It’s also $15/month less expensive at the new place. I’m entering into my busy season with tax prep classes followed by working at the tax office 2-3 evenings per week. I will be cutting back a little on the taxes in order to make time for exercise. My plan is to schedule my week, including the exercise so that I don’t find excuses not to go.

I lost about 10 lbs this month. They were all in a 14-day period. The other two weeks I didn’t lose anything. I have begun to know my body’s pattern and this month was typical – no loss for many days and then a big, sudden drop. I still weigh daily, but I don’t get panicky if I don’t lose.

I believe it’s time to set a goal weight for myself. I think maybe the 147 I was given originally is a bit too low and that maybe 160 would be more reasonable. I plan to discuss with the surgeon at my nine-month visit. By then I should also be less than 200 lbs – another milestone!

Six months down and if I use my high (consult) weight, I’ve made it to the Century Club! At my 6-month checkup Monday, I was down 100.4 lbs total. I had hoped to have 100 lbs. off post-op by now, but made it to -94, still a remarkable number. I don’t feel like I look all that different most of the time, but I do find myself looking in mirrors at my new body. I enjoy shopping for clothes and have to restrain myself from buying more.

In the past six months, my body has changed in the following ways:
-12” waist
-10” bust
-10” hips
-1 shoe size (11 to 10)
- FIVE dress sizes (32 to 22 with some 20’s)

I know that if I was exercising more, I would probably be dropping weight much more quickly, but I am getting into it gradually. I am going to the YWCA 1 or 2 times per week and mowing the grass as needed. I don’t know how people with families manage to work in exercise daily. I am widowed and childless, so I should have lots of time, but I still find myself burning the candle at both ends.

I didn’t need to have the scope after all. I told the surgeon I wanted to do it at the hospital where I work (no co-pay) and she decided to try me on medicine instead. I took Carafate for about two weeks and am still taking Prevacid. Both are for acid and ulcer type conditions, which I was sure was NOT the problem. But… my stomach has settled down and I’ve only had a couple of instances of pain in the past few weeks. I stopped taking the Carafate rather quickly though, because my blood sugar was going up for the first time since surgery. I’m not sure how that impacts the glucose, but it was doing something. I continue to take the Prevacid.

I went to Las Vegas last week for three days. I didn’t win any money, but I did get a lot of exercise. While walking through Chicago Midway airport, for the first time I noticed how much more energy I have. I was moving quickly and did not get tired. On the way home, I also pushed my friend in a wheelchair through the airport and did not get out of breath despite many inclines.

I’m down 80 lbs since surgery – to 245 - and down 87 lbs. from my highest weight. I’m looking forward to making the Century Club by my birthday at the end of June. I think it’s a doable goal since that’s six weeks away.

05/28/04

It has been a fun week. I went on a clothes-shopping spree at Kohl’s last Saturday – they were having a big sale. I appreciate all the clothes people have given me, but once in a while you just want to pick your own styles and colors. I got a dress, 4 shirts, a coat, bathing suit, and a bra. Everything was either a 24 or 2x – not bad since I started at 30/32 (34 pants) and 5x. Today I wore a top and pants that were both 22! I had to drag a woman out of house wares to measure me for a bra since no one was working in that dept. Luckily she had worked in foundations at another department store so she knew what she was doing. I had no clue where to even start trying those on and I would have been way off. I’ve dropped 5 band sizes in my bra too.

Wednesday I had a massage. My stepdaughter gave me a gift certificate for Christmas and I had been putting it off. I had a massage 20 yrs ago and it hurt from beginning to end. This time was much more pleasant. Evidently the first one was more deep muscle massage and this was more relaxing.

Monday I joined the YWCA. Unfortunately, they are losing money and were talking about maybe closing, so I only was required to join for one month until they decided on an action. The next day they announced that they are closing the pool and looking for a buyer for the building. The fitness room will remain open for now and that’s what I am interested in. I’m not big on swimming laps and I live on a lake. Tonight I had my one-hour assessment with the personal trainer. Most of what he recommended had to do with stretching muscles and gaining balance, along with 30 min of cardio. It was quite informative. Hopefully this will tone me and kick-start my weight loss again.

I weighed one day this week at 240 (without clothes) but am usually at 242. My goal is to get to -100 lbs by the end of June – my six month WLS anniversary and my birthday.

Another few weeks and few pounds gone. I did really well for a couple of weeks after the scope, but now am having problems again. I get severe pain that is only relieved by waiting an hour or throwing up. Not everything bothers me and the same thing may not bother me two days in a row?? I went to a professional meeting this week and hardly anything I ate agreed with me. It doesn’t seem to be volume related – even a few bites of deli ham brought on the pain. The next meal I had six grilled shrimp with smashed potatoes and did fine. I’m sooooo confused! I guess I’ll call the surgeon tomorrow to see what to do next. If I have to be scoped again, I intend to do it close to home. My hospital is covered 100% if I do it where I work. If I go to Carmel, I have to pay deductible and 20% co-pay and that is adding up.

I went to the YWCA Friday night for information. I think I’ll try their one-week free trial and then probably join in May. I am trying to convince myself that I LIKE EXERCISE, but I haven’t been successful so far.

04/26/04
I didn’t call the doctor last week like I planned because I was mostly fine all week, then Friday came around and a few bites of chicken Caesar salad doubled me over. I made myself vomit and then I was fine. All weekend I did well, including Chicken Parmesan and salad from Olive Garden Saturday night. (I asked about whether I could get a child’s portion. They don’t do that but they did let me order from the lunch menu.) Sunday I tried to eat the leftover chicken and couldn’t eat more than one bite without pain. Today I tried chicken breast at work and had severe pain after only a couple of bites. So…. I finally called the surgeon and of course she said I need another scope. I’ll try to get it done this week.

I tried my “dump-o-meter” this past week too. After 4 months the curiosity won out. I’m sorry to say that sugar doesn’t bother me at all. We had a chocolate carry-in at work on Wednesday and I brought home a brownie and a piece of chocolate cake. I ate the brownie and the cake w/o frosting and no effect. Someone told me maybe they weren’t sweet enough, so I tried two pieces of Andes mints yesterday and again did fine. Since sweets were a problem for me before surgery, I will need to watch closely. Good news is that neither the brownie nor the candy tasted as good as I expected/remembered.

Two more weeks gone and I’m down another 7 lbs. I seem to have been on a plateau recently and just this week started to lose a bit again. I am tolerating meat better, although I still have my days. If breakfast doesn’t agree with me, it’s downhill from there. I have been just drinking protein for breakfast and that seems to have been working but I wonder if it has slowed my weight loss. I tried popcorn yesterday – about 2 wks ahead of my dietician’s schedule. It tasted pretty good.

The two garbage bags of size 24 clothes that a coworker gave me now fit well. They are all winter clothes, so now I’m hoping that spring DOESN’T come early so I have something to wear. Her taste in clothes (velour and corduroy) doesn’t exactly match mine, but beggars can’t be choosy.

I still have the no-exercise guilt, but evidently not enough to get me moving. It will be my next goal.

Next week I travel for work. I am a little worried about what I will eat. I think I will ask for a room with a refrigerator so I can store my allowable foods and depend on what is being served.

03/31/04
I attended my work meeting last week and was tempted quite a bit. Food and alcohol flowed freely, but I did pretty well in making choices. One night I had an appetizer portion of crab cakes, one night three small mushu (sp?) pork and no ice cream sundae, and the third night I tried pasta with turkey meat sauce. That one didn’t stay down so I ended up with mushroom soup at a nice Italian restaurant – what a waste! I ate 1,200 calories one day! That’s two normal days for me but I ate some high cal things like chips and juice.

This week has been interesting also. Monday was my 3-month checkup at the surgeon. I’m down 53 since surgery and about 59 total. I haven’t lost much in the past month, but I haven’t gotten too discouraged. I realize plateaus are normal and I have been eating more carbs than some people because that is what stays down.

The surgeon thought I should be able to tolerate meat better by now, so she wanted to scope me. I did that yesterday. 2.5 hrs each way for my appointment Monday and another 5 hrs of driving Tuesday! The procedure itself only took about 20 min. She told me my outlet was 9mm and she dilated it to 12mm. That little bit made a big difference. I was able to eat meat on the way home and have had chicken and pork tenderloin today. All without pain or vomiting. For lunch I tried the innards of a ham and cheese sandwich. That didn’t sit well but I think I ate it too fast.

I’ve decided to join the Y near where I work. My boss belongs and she thinks we can influence each other to follow through. My wonderful mom gave me $100 today to help pay for the membership! Hopefully next week I will get to start my exercise program.

I made it to the 200’s this week. Depending on what time of day it is, I am either 296 or 298. I haven’t been below 200 for many years. When I met my husband to be in 1991, I had just lost 60 lbs and was about 250. That’s the lowest I have been since college (many, many years ago) but it didn’t last long. This loss will last a lifetime!

Today is my cat Bunny’s TWENTYTH birthday. I didn’t think cats lived that long, but I stand corrected. She still seems to have an acceptable quality of life, so we’re hanging in there with each other. I also acquired two additional cats a year ago. Bunny hates them, but they seem to have kept her young. She does watch them, hiss at them, and swat them occasionally. The little ones don’t understand why she won’t play and they keep trying.

I worked 70 hrs last week between my two jobs. What a way to get back into the workforce after surgery… I do have a lot of energy and it didn’t seem to affect my health too much. My house, laundry, etc. is another matter.

Back to the doctor in a week for my 6-week check. After that, I get to eat REAL FOOD!!!

2/12/04

I had my 6-week checkup on Monday. I have lost officially 29 lbs since surgery and 36 total. The doctor seemed pleased and said I would lose even faster once I found time to exercise. It hasn’t been very possible for me right now since I’m working two jobs and away from home 15 hrs most days.

Started with solid foods on Monday after the doctor. I’m not sure I’m happy about it right now. I had my first vomiting episode the end of week 5. I have been eating scrambled eggs since surgery, but all of a sudden, I can’t tolerate them. I tried again last Sunday and didn’t vomit but wished I had. I just had a lot of discomfort for a while. Lost some shrimp on Tuesday. Chicken doesn’t seem to agree with me either. I ate about 1 oz of chicken salad for breakfast and lost it in the car on the way to work. I will keep trying different foods to find out what is tolerated.

Saturday is Valentine’s Day. It’s a bittersweet day for me since it’s my third alone since Denny died. It also would have been Denny’s 57th birthday. I still have my Hallmark Kissing Bears on my nightstand – my last Valentine’s Day gift. I’m working at the tax office that day so it should help get me through. I’ll stop at the cemetery first and drop off a balloon or flowers. The last two Valentine’s Days, I have taken him a potted tulip (his favorite), but the snow is so high this year it wouldn’t even be visible. Denny would have been happy to see how I’m changing. I doubt he would have ever chosen the surgery for himself, even though it might have saved his life. His sister had it years ago and has had many complications.

02/20/04

I’m still struggling with the solid foods. Yesterday I tasted beef stew in the cafeteria (previously one of my favorites) and my pouch immediately started rumbling. I went back and got split pea soup. That was fine. Today I tried baked fish and that didn’t stay down. For supper, I ate about ½ oz of turkey from a TV dinner. It wasn’t too bad and my cats enjoyed the leftovers. I think I’ll email the dietician and see if she can make any suggestions. Soup seems to be my best meal choice. It doesn’t seem to matter what’s in it.

My loss is becoming quite visible. A coworker passed me a note yesterday at a meeting that said “YOU LOOK GOOD, Karen.” It gave me a warm glow. Another coworker gave me two bags of clothes that she had under grown. (She did LA Weight Loss.) They are a bit tight yet so I should have clothes for a while. I’m also digging in the back of my closet for those things I couldn’t wear but saved. I tried on a bathing suit that I had outgrown and it is actually too big now. I think I have another stashed away. I’m taking a business trip in March and would like to have one available if I want to do the hotel pool.

I have made reservations for Las Vegas in May. I received a free 3-night stay, including meals. All I have to provide is airfare. My best friend is going along with me. She has never been there. I told her she could lie by the pool since she doesn’t gamble much and we can see all the sights.

2/28/04
Two months down and doing well. Down 52 lbs. from my consult and 45 since surgery.

I still am having trouble with food some days. Yesterday I didn't keep down breakfast or supper and ate only one bite (upset tummy) of lunch. Today I went to breakfast at Bob Evans with a friend and I was able to eat about a 2" portion of a Sunshine Skillet. It has eggs, sausage gravy, cheese, and potatoes. This is the first I've tried eggs for a few weeks and since it went ok, I'll try more.

This is the first time I've seen this friend since the week of surgery. She had lots of questions and was very happy for me. I had emailed pictures, but it's not the same as seeing the change in person.

Did my first REAL OUTDOOR EXERCISE today! It has been unseasonably warm this week for Indiana and over 50 today. My friend and I went for a walk after breakfast. There is a park with a walking/biking trail along the river and that is where we went. Parts of it were unpaved and a bit sloppy, but it was beautiful and I enjoyed the time. We walked a little over 0.5 miles one way and then walked back. The park is 40 min from my home, so I don't expect to get there much, but I will look for a similar site in the city where I work. I'm a little stiff already, but hopefully by tomorrow I will be fine.

I treated my self to a new outfit in honor of my first 50 lbs lost. Kohl's was having a sale and I found a very stylish pants set in a 24. It's still a little snug, but I was able to get the pants on and zipped - and they aren't even elastic. A long ways from the size 34 pants I had been buying! In about 3 weeks I am due to attend a meeting out of state for work and I will be strutting my stuff. I am amazed at how I am actually losing weight where I need to lose it and not in my big toe or pinky finger.