ObesityHelp

So excited that the first 20 lbs. is officially GONE!  It helps me to break the big number down into increments.  I have found in just a few short weeks (I was sleeved on 7/30/2012) that I lose weight when I get enough protein, and when I don't get enough, I seem to have less energy.  I am looking forward to eating a salad soon.  Gone is the sweet tooth, thank God!  My husband's cake can sit on the counter for days, and I just walk on by...what a sweet, sweet victory, in itself!
Have not made it a priority to walk on the treadmill.  I know I need to be doing this daily, I just haven't.  There is just something about being "on the road to no where" that is a mental turn off to me.  

Last week was just a sucky, sucky week.  It was August in Texas and  I just generally did not have much energy, and no drive whatsoever.  Upon taking inventory, I deduced that I was probably lacking some in the proetein department, plus, I wasn't taking my supplements, nor Prozac, as prescribed. 
I am now making a concerted effort to assure that I get all of my supplements and necessary protein daily, and already it's a much better week this week and the weight is coming off!  

I had my two week post op visit with Dr. Dirk yesterday.  It is incredible how much better I feel already.  Today, I start my treadmill regime...don't know how much I am looking forward to that, but, whatever it takes, is what I am willing to do.  I'm down almost 16 pounds already!  I have had no problems so far, except for the fact that I no longer have the desire to eat anything sweet!  How great is that? 

 Didn't sleep well last night. Lots to do today to get ready for tomorrow.  Would like for my mind to be quiet, but that is asking too much, right now.  I must figure out what I will be eating once I get home.  The scales were +1.8 this morning--probably the wine I enjoyed yesterday.  Things are about to change drastically for me.  I better buckle my seat belt--it's going to be quite a ride!

I've spent a lot of time on the OH pages these past couple of weeks, but especially this week.  My sleeve is scheduled for 1:30 on Monday, July 30, 2012.  I watched a laproscopic sleeve procedure on YouTube--I do not recommend that to anyone who is the least bit  squirmish.  It did, however give me a first hand look at what is about to happen to my body. My insurance carrier (Blue Cross Blue Shield Texas) also has an amazing online video presentation of the different types of weight loss surgeries, and I watched that.  It was very helpful in preparing me for the days to come.  

This blog will be about my journey, and I promise you, it's liable to get crazy along the ride, but part of me holding myself accountable is accomplished through writing it down.  You are welcome along on the journey; my only request being that we keep it respectful.

I'm 48 hours out from my gastric sleeve surgery, and am sitting here sipping on a nice Gnarly Head Lodi Zinfandel while doing some serious soul searching and prioritizing. 

I consider myself to be a pretty typical" middle aged woman (56 years old).  Actually, I am a lot younger thinking than lots of people my age.  I have a wildly successful  career in real estate.  DH works a rotating 12-hour shift at the same job he has had for our entire life together.  We have four daughters ranging in age from 21 to 37. As of December of this year, the last one will graduate from college.  Several years ago (seven, I think) we were able to buy my husband's sister's part in the family farm, which is where we now live--on 20 acres in the custom home his parents built 40+ years ago.  We have spent  the last 6 years making it our home, and that has included drastic remodeling.  Living the American Dream.  In a word--"blessed."

...Until it comes to the sacrifices in quality of life that my familiy and I have made, due to my weight over the years. I have run the whole gammit to lose the excess weight, and have had success each time, only to gain it all back the minute Life Happened, and took my mind off losing weight.  This last time, was the second time I had lost 75 pounds.  I kept it off for a couple of years, but now, all but the last 8 pounds has found its way back to me--and not even in the right places!  Day before yesterday, I weighed in at 267, here at home on my Weight Watchers Digital Scale.  Suffice it to say, that on my 5ft. 5" frame, the results are somewhat ROUND, much to my dismay.

I just DO NOT have it in me to do this again without having a tool in place to back me up.  Thus the decision to look into weight loss surgery.  I first visited my primary care physician toward the end of April.  With his blessings, he pointed me to my surgeon, originally, as I understand it, a vascular surgeon who had moved over to bariatric specialty, and who had actually assisted in my doctor's gall bladder surgery several years ago.Having performed over 10,000 surgeries of this type, I felt I was in good hands, even though at my first meeting with him, around the first of May, I felt him to be somewhat smug and pompous, and I literally cried through the entire appointment.  That office visit truly became my "Come to Jesus" moment.  The next several weeks were not my most pleasant, as I am not given to patience.  The EKG and chemical stress tests pointed to possible ischemia, causing me to detour for a heart cartheterization, which thank heavens, came back good!  That was followed by a venous doppler on my legs, an EGD, and finally the beloved Psych  evaluation.  My complete file was submitted to BCBS on July 10, 2012, with approval arriving on July 23rd, and surgery scheduled for July 30, 2012!

By the way, I do KNOW why I am fat.  I simply take in more calories than I  burn!  It is a very simple concept, with some very deep underlying roots and we may delve into all that at another time.