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Before & After

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Goals

Be under 200 pounds

48 People
 in progress, 
39 People
 achieved this

Shop in regular sizes instead of Plus Size

31 People
 in progress, 
34 People
 achieved this

shop at victoria's secret!

125 People
 in progress, 
55 People
 achieved this

go to King's Island with my husband and ride every roller coaster in the park!

1 Person
 in progress, 
1 Person
 achieved this

Reach goal by 12-18 months from surgery

1 Person
 in progress, 
0 People
 achieved this
View Other Goals
Surgeon Testimonial

David Schumacher, M.D.
So far I have only met Dr. Schumacher once but I was very impressed nonetheless. He seems very compassionate and caring. He takes the time you need him to to thouroughly answer all of your questions. So far I really like him.
Member Interests
  • Parenting - I may be a little biased but I have the greatest daughter in the whole world!!
  • Antiques - I really enjoy hunting for antiques and decorating my house with them.
  • Cooking & Baking - This is my favorite hobby of all!! Probably part of my weight issue :o(
  • Amusement Parks - I can't wait to get on a roller coaster and fit again!!!!!
  • Camping - There's nothing better than sitting around a campfire on a cool fall evening!!
  • Christianity - God is the number one most important thing in my life.
  • Married - My husband and I are very close. He is supportive and wants me to be happy.
  • Vacation - The next time I go on vacation I will actually feel good. I can't wait!
  • Flea Markets - I love the thrill of finding a great bargain on an antique at a flea market.
  • Boyd Bears - Boyds go great with antiques :o)

Latest Surgery Support Comments

  • Comment by .: Rana :. on 2/3/09 10:46 am
    This is the beginning of the rest of your life. Isn't it just like God to provide us with a second chance even in our physical weight?! I LOVE IT! God is good, all the time!!! Continued prayers that your recovery and adjustment to your "new" life goes smoothly!
  • Comment by BrookeK on 2/3/09 7:32 am
    Mrs_Southy, I am praying for you and your surgical team for an uneventful surgery and no naseaua (sp?)when you wake up. Brooke K
  • Comment by highmaintenance on 2/3/09 5:50 am
    Today is your day - I'm praying for you!
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mrs_southy's Blog
mrs_southy's Blog


6 Months & 10 Days Post Op
on August 13, 2009 9:33 am
Here I am this far out and I can still say that I never imagined that I would have this much success with the sleeve.  I knew I would lose but to lose this much this quickly is nothing short of a blessing from God.  Its not to say that there aren't challenges that come with this new body because there are but I'll take these challenges any day over the ones of the past 10 years.  I am finally in a size 18 in most bottoms and 18/20 in tops.  I can't wrap my mind around being any smaller than that.  I know I will but I can't envision it.  Let's just say that I can't wait to see it for myself.

I have had so many NSVs its not even funny but still yet I seem to maintain a low self esteem problem.  I can't get past it.  I still feel invisible to people of the opposite sex.  I'm not saying I'm in the market and trying to get noticed or anything.  I'm very happily married and wouldn't take another man if he were handed to me on a silver platter.  I'm just saying that every now and then it would feel nice to be noticed.  Maybe someday I guess.  I love having all the beautiful women on here telling me how pretty I am when I post a picture or something but where are the guys?  I don't know, I just feel like it is impossible for a man to think a woman is pretty enough to acknowledge unless she weighs 110 pounds and has blonde hair and big boobs.  Wow, I sound bitter.  I guess I am a little bitter.  It would feel great if when I go out with my husband men would notice me and make him feel like he really is out with someone to be proud of.  Not that he's not proud of me.  He never treated me badly when I weighed over 300 pounds I'm just saying - he's not the jealous type so that would just make him smile with pride for me to be noticed and it NEVER happens.  I try to tell myself that its because people are afraid to offend him since he is big and scary looking (270 pound corrections officer in a maximum security prison) but in my heart I really don't think that's it.  I think it's because I still weigh 225 pounds and men just don't find that attractive. 

Okay, I know if any of you have read this you are probably really thinking I need counseling by now because I'm losing my mind and you're probably right :o)  I spend way too much time in this line of thought.  It'll happen someday maybe. 

I had a huge amount of fun at the bachelorette party I posted about the other day because the waiter didn't treat me any differently than he did the other girls but I still felt like the fat ugly one.  The bride is a small, one bridesmaid is a medium, the maid of honor is a large/extra large and then there's me, an extra large/2 extra large.  How else am I supposed to feel?  I would give anything to truly be as confident as Miss Shell says she is in her posts.  I am in private situations at home with my husband if you know what I mean but just not when we're out in public.  At the wedding we all wore strapless and even though I was told a hundred times how pretty I looked I still felt like the fat ugly one because all the compliments came from women.  Oh yes, there were good looking men there but NOT ONE of them even looked at me like I was female let alone pretty!  I just want me and my husband to feel like he's got something that any man would be glad to have and right now I don't feel that way.  He says he does but who really knows. 

Well, now that you have all had the opportunity to read what goes on in my messed up head have a great day!
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Here's Where I Am So Far
on June 27, 2009 1:56 am

As of today I am 6 days shy of my 5 month surgiversary.  I have lost 95 pounds since surgery and 107 overall.  I am nothing less than thrilled with the loss I experienced.  I believe it has to be obvious by now but oddly enough there are lots of people who still haven't verbally noticed.  I think its just that people don't know how to address the situation.  They don't want to accidentally offend me so they just don't say anything.  When I started this journey I was wearing 26/28's but only in stretchy material.  I had one pair of jeans that was a 28 and they wouldn't even fit me.  I was basically in a size 30/32, I just hadn't given in and bought the clothes.  Now I am wearing a 22/24 in shirts and a 22 in jeans.  It is so exciting to be able to say that.  I can even get my 20's on but they are too tight to be comfy.  I don't think it will be too long until I can wear an 18/20 in shirts and a 20 in pants.  I had a huge NSV today.  I went to a bridal shop with a good friend who is getting married in August to pick out bridesmaid dresses and I figured I would wear a 24 in alfred angelo.  I have worn that brand before for weddings and I barely fit into the 28 the last time.  Well, the only size they had even close to what I wear for me to try on was a 22W.  It is a little bigger than a 22 like in jeans or something but I was still afraid that it wouldn't fit.  I was right it didn't fit.  It was too BIG!!!!!  I was never so excited to not fit into something in all my life.  I think I'll have to order the size 20.  I haven't been in a size 20 since before I got married and I've been married for 8 years.  I was flabbergasted.  I stood there and looked at myself in the gown (I still put it on because it was one of the ones that laces up the back and we just pulled it up tighter to keep it on) and I thought to myself, "Thank you God and thank you sleeve!" 

This is sooooo much better since the nausea is gone.  That made life so miserable.  Now I can eat whatever I take the notion to but it is amazing how the sleeve makes the choices soooo much easier.  I never made good choices before but now I guess its because I know I HAVE to because I can only eat so much and I need to make it count.  I was thinking the other day after logging all my food on my daily plate food log that I could have eaten my entire days worth of food pre-op in one meal (plus some probably). 

The only thing I still struggle with is the protein consumption.  I have issues with people thinking you have to get 60 to 80 grams per day anyway.  I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I ate way too many sweets and carbs before surgery to even come close to getting that so what makes the difference now?  I do only eat protein and green veggies, that way I get more than I would otherwise and the carbs I get are healthy carbs rather than carbs from refined sugars or flours with the exception of some sweet tea.  I guess I don't hink I'm doing that bad if I only have one vice now rather than a whole list of things that I eat and shouldn't. 

I feel like this was one of the best decisions I have ever made for myself.  It ranks right up there with my decision to accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior, my decision to get married, and my decision to have a baby.  Those four things have had and will continue to have the most impact on my life.  I am so thankful for my sleeveand I am thankful for the new chance at life that I've been given and I intend to make the most of it!

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Victory
on April 30, 2009 10:06 am
Well, for the most part the nausea is gone and I am really starting to feel better and maybe a little more normal.  I am eating lots of protein but don't really have room for anything else yet but thats okay.  I am getting most of my protein in from food and getting the liquids in too for the most part.  It is true that you start feeling more normal after a while.  I would read where people would say this and I'd think that I would never feel normal but I'm finally getting there.  My head was my biggest adjustment.  It took me forever to adjust myself to the fact that I can't eat very much at a time.  I was used to being a volume eater so this was a huge change for me.  I am also starting to see a difference in myself now too as are other people.  It took almost 70 pounds to accomplish that but hey, at least people (including me) can tell now. 

I am hoping beyond hope that I can kick my weight loss back into high gear because I want so badly to go to King's Island this summer and I want to spare myself the embarrassment of not fitting on the rides.  I haven't been able to go for about 9 years and its been killing me.  I LOVE roller coasters and I can't wait to get back on one.  Everybody keep your fingers crossed that I can fit later this summer. 

I am noe finally to the point that I would reccomend VSG.  I am through the worst parts I believe.  Now I just need to concentrat on eating healthy and getting the rest of my weight off.  If I have a goal of 140, that is exactly 203 pounds lower than my weight on my day of surgery so in order to reach 50% EWL I need to lose 101.5 so that is my goal by six months out.  I have 32.5 pounds to go and only 3 months to do it in.  I could use your prayers and encouragement for sure!
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Just an update.....
on April 4, 2009 7:25 am
I guess its way past time that I post an update.  I am one day past my 2 month surgiversary.  I posted yesterday on the ups and downs that I have experienced with WLS.  My biggest up is the major weight I've lost that I would never have been able to lose without surgery and my major down is the nausea that JUST WON"T QUIT!!!  I can't get in my vitamins or my protein because everything just about makes me vomit.  I can't cook (poor husband and daughter) and I can hardly eat then when something does finally sound halfway good I can only eat about 2 or 3 baby sized bites.  REALLY frustrating and I have no clue how I'm supposed to get in enough protein this way seeing as how all the shakes I've tried so far litterally gag me.  I am totally at a loss and I am really upset about it but I don't dare post this honestly on the main VSG board because I would get advice like - you just have to make yourself drink the shakes - or - you just have to make yourself take the vitamins - to which I would want to reply - gee I wish I'd thought of that!  Its just not that simple.  #1 I have a MAJOR fear of puking.  I know I'm not going to die if I puke but it still completely freaks me out!  I think it has to do with childhood trauma of being forced to ride in the back seat with a brother who got car sick and vomited VERY frequently.  He was one of those vomiters that could be heard five counties away too.  So at any rate theres the first problem and the second problem is - what good is it going to do me to force myself to eat or drink something that is already making me gag and which I KNOW is going to make me vomit and lose the nutrition of that AND whatever fluid I have managed to get down.  I would think that this would just contribute to dehydration.  I don't know the answer but I am just praying that it goes away soon and I can return to a VSG normal routine.  That would be a dream come true!  I know my weight loss has slowed due to my lack of ability to get down my water and my protein and I am scared to death of getting kidney stones.  I eat ice all day long to try and up my fluid intake some but I know the more water the better.  If anyone is even bothering to read this please know that I am trying my absolute hardest.  If you have suggestions you are welcome to PM me.  I will take any suggestion seriously that doesn't involve - you are just going to have to make yourself. 

I can't say all this negative stuff though without saying that I would do it over again because of the tremendous weight loss I've experienced.  I have lost 58 pounds as of today since my surgery day (2/3/09) and 70 pounds overall since last summer.  I am thrilled.  People are finally starting to notice my losses.  Up until about 5 pounds ago no one was noticing except for people who already knew about the surgery.  That was a little disheartening but I think in reality people were noticing and just didn't know what to say or what I was comfortable with.  I have a long way to go to get to goal but I know that with the Lord's help I can get there.  /thanks for reading if you have and if you know the Lord your prayers for this nausea to go away would be greatly appreciated.
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Finally, A Date!
on January 14, 2009 9:59 am
I have waited so so so long!  I'm sure others have waited longer but its been almost a year for me and I am so thankful it is finally almost over!  My surgery date is Tuesday February 3rd.  That is only like 20 days away!!!  Now I am in the quandry of, do I eat what I want while I still can or do I start watching what I'm eating now and get a jumpstart?  I know what the answer should be but I don't know if I have the control to do that or not.  I guess I wouldn't be having surgery if I had control of all that huh!  I have been going through a list of things in my head that I am REALLY looking forward to about this surgery and one of my biggest ones is knowing that my husband will be proud to show me off in front of his friends.  I know that probably sounds silly because he is not embarassed of me now as I am but I can't help but feel that way.  I am just really looking forward to being his arm candy :o)  I have never felt worthy of him in all the 10 years that we've been together and I want to finally feel like I am worthy of him.  I want to feel good about myself.  I have the greatest husband in the world because he has always loved me no matter what and I have gained about 185 pounds in the 10 years we have been together.  He still tells me I'm beautiful and nothing has changed in any area to make me think any different if you know what I mean.  I'm just glad he doesn't feel the same way about me as I do!!
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My Story

I have dealt with my weight my entire life.  My earliest memory of that battle was when I was just a very small child and was at the pediatrician's office with my mom.  I remember being weighed but I was too little to really know what I should have weighed.  Whatever the target was I surpassed it because I remember feeling like I was in trouble with the doctor for weighing too much.  Then my whole world changed.  As a child you totally don't understand it when you're hungry and you're not allowed to eat or when other people keep on eating around you but you've hit your limit.  Don't get me wrong, my parents didn't starve me by any means.  I just had a big appetite and I was hungry all the time. 

I continued to be overweight through the seventh grade.  Finally when I hit eighth grade my appearance really started bothering me.  I decided to lose weight and wasn't really educated on how to do it the right way.  I just figured the less food I put in my body the better and somehow I had the willpower to lose about 55 pounds in 2 1/2 months.  It definitely wasn't the smartest thing I ever did but it got the weight off and I was able to be mostly successful at keeping it off until I was around 19.  I met my husband when I was 17 and we were engaged when i was 18 and married when I was 20.  By the time we were married I had ballooned back up to a 22/24.  He didn't seem to mind so I didn't make it a high priority for myself either.  I have dieted on and off and have been successful at losing down to 235 pounds once in our marriage but it wasn't long and it was all right back on.  Talk about disappointment.  Then in March last year I got pregnant and it was all over.  It was the best thing that ever happened to me but the worst thing that ever happened to my body.  I was about 280 when I got pregnant and I was 347 before it was all over with and haven't been able to lose anything since. 

I'm not really bad about snacking and I hardly ever eat out because my husband and I are on a very strict budget - trying to get some bills paid off.  So my biggest problem is portion control.  I love to cook and of course I fix things the way I like them so I cook for us and I eat and eat and eat until I can't eat any more because I am enjoying it so much.  This is why I think the sleeve is right for me.  The forced portion control is just what I need to help me gain control of my life again.  Also, I have this HUGE phobia of throwing up.  I absolutely hate hate hate hate to do it so I know that I will not do anything to myself on purpose that will cause me to throw up.  I'll be scared to death to eat too much for fear of it coming back up.  I'm just really looking forward to finally being on the way to a smaller and healthier me.

Okay enough about the weight stuff - now about the more important stuff.  As I said the best thing that ever happened to me was finding out that I was pregnant last year.  My little girl is absolutely the light of my life!  One of these days when I have the capability I will post some pictures so you guys can see my little angel.  The two hardest things I've ever had to do in my life were dealing with losing my mom when I was only 22 and having to go back to work when my daughter was only 8 weeks old.  I want to be a stay at home mom so badly I can't stand it.  I still cry on some mornings when I have to drop her off at the baby sitter's house.  She doesn't handle it terribly well either.  She doesn't cry in the mornings when I drop her off which is a blessing but she does have a very hard time in the evening on days when we've been apart.  She can't stand for me to be cooking or doing dishes or anything other than sitting on the floor playing with her.  She just comes unglued if I don't.  I don't want her to be spoiled but I really don't think that paying attention to her when I've had to be gone all day is going to spoil her.  Also, sometimes in the mornings she just looks at me with this look on her face like she's thinking, "Mom, why are you leaving me?"  I just about can't handle that one!  I just keep praying that God will open the doors necessary for me to be a stay at home mom.  I don't care at all to work, I just don't want to leave her to do it.  Also, when we want to have more children I want to not have to worry about going back to work. 

As I mentioned before I got married when I was 20 years old.  That is so young to make such a huge commitment but thank God led me to the right man.  I have a great husband that loves me just the way I am and would be with me forever even if I never lost a pound.  He is very handsome.  I never thought I deserved him even the day he asked me to go out on a date with him when we were both working at the Dairy Queen as teenagers.  That was on October 31, 1998.  I'm getting so old :o)  We have loved each other since day one and through God's grace and love we have grown closer and closer and our love has only gotten stronger. 

We are Christians.  We believe in the one true God of the bible who is our creator and sustainer.  We believe He sent His son Jesus who willingly paid the price for all our sins so that we can have the opportunity to spend eternity together in heaven with Him.  We believe the scriptures that tell us that there is only One way and that is through Jesus Christ.  We believe in the sanctity of human life and the institution of marriage and we believe that those two things should be protected.  We feel strongly that this nation was founded on Christian principles and was done so for a reason.  We believe that the freedoms we were granted at the birth of our country should be protected no matter what.  We strive to treat people the way the Lord would have us treat them no matter what the surrounding circumstances.  We love all people because they are God's creation whether we agree with them or not makes no difference.  We try each day to share the love of God and the wonderful gift of salvation with those around us.  There are days that because we are human we fail miserably but thanks to a unconditionally loving and forgiving Father in Heaven we are still covered by His grace and mercy.

Well if you have read this far then you know a lot more about me than you did when you started reading.  I hope to get to know you all too and have a great experience receiving and giving support here on OH.