Annie E.

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I was very excited to have my 1 year Surgiversary!  I am enjoying my life and hoping to continue to keep this weight off for good!  I have always been scared of regaining since you see it alot after the surgery.  I want to be healthy and to be a positive example to others.  I want my children and my husband to say "She did it" and "She's exceeded her dreams" and so on.  I am blessed to have gotten this far and am praying for blessings to keep going! 

I have been MIA for a bit, sorry!  I have been enjoying life and loving it!  We got a trampoline for my boys and I think I've been enjoying it just as much as they have haha.  My lil guy Joshua LOVES for us to get on it together and jump.  He really loves spending time with me in play mode LOL.  And of course, I love seeing that smile on his face when we are together having fun. :)  One of the best feelings in the world!  Take care all!

April 14, 2011 - I went to the BMV today to renew our license plates and I decided to get a new drivers license ID!  It felt sooooo good and joyous to get a new picture taken and watch them switch the weight from 265 lbs. to now! 

Sunday, April 3, 2011 was my fashion show.  I felt so beautiful in my outfit and was so nervous getting ready.  I had 32 people show up to support me in the show.  As I waited backstage in the line of models, I kept going over the journey I've been on.  I have really came a long way and am a success story.  I have so much to be thankful for and proud of.  I have dedicated myself to  a healthier life and focused on changing my bad habits to a lifestyle of healthy eating and exercise.  I was the 4th model and the closer I got to my turn, the more nervous I got. I was literally shaking on the inside!  My heart felt like it was in my throat!  When I heard my husband reading my story, I thought I could buckle under my knees.  Then when I went out and down the catwalk, it was like I was dreaming.  It was funny because when I was done, I walked right past my husband and didn't even know he was standing there waiting on me because I was so nervous and in shock LOL.  He just laughed at me and walked up to me LOL.  I sooooo enjoyed this moment.  I had the most people there screaming for me and cheering me on. I walked down to "Brick House" by the Commodores.  My husband picked the song out.  He says it soooo fits me LOL.  My 5 1/2 year old son, Joshua, asked my husband "Daddy, did mommy win?" and my husband said, "What do you mean?" and Joshua said, "You know, like on the Biggest Loser, did mommy lose the most weight?  I bet she did!" LOL that made my day!  Anyway, this was the best day I have had ever!  I felt like a prom queen :)

I am officially in the "normal" weight range for BMI.  I am currently 24.7 and "normal" is 18.5 to 24.9.  I started out at 46.9 which is morbidly obese (greater than 40).  I am sooooo excited for this! 

I'M THE ONE ON THE RIGHT :)

This is what my husband, Brian, is reading at the Bariatric Fashion Show on my behalf:
As a teenager, she started gaining weight steadily. By the time she was 20, she tried every diet there was and had bought every piece of workout equipment she could with no success. She began a regimen of over-the-counter energy pills and Mt. Dew to make the weight come off. She added binging, purging, vomiting and laxatives into that mixture and got too thin, dead looking. She got saved and gave her heart to God and knew she could no longer do those dangerous habits. It took her until then to realize she was letting food dictate her life and her attitude. She knew if she didn’t control her addiction it would continue to control her.   So, without knowing how to eat healthy, she gained all her weight back plus more at a speedy record. She reached her highest weight of 265 lbs. and was so humiliated and embarrassed of her size. She had no self-worth and was embarrassed at her weight. She was embarrassed for her family. She wanted to be able to play with her boys and go to the pool without dreading the looks and stares of others. She was tired of always watching from the sidelines and wanted to be an active part of her children’s lives. She met with Dr. Lee on April 28, 2010 and was amazed with him and his wonderful staff. They were very caring and informative. She was not just a number to them, she was a person. She was given the tools she needed to succeed in her weight loss journey. She had surgery on June 29, 2010 and has lost 125.4 lbs. and has gained a new lease on life. She no longer has high blood pressure or arthritis in her knee. Not only did she meet her weight loss goal of 145 lbs. on November 2, 2010, she went beyond it and is currently 139.6 lbs. She had set 10 major goals for herself when starting this journey, and on January 5, 2010, she achieved all of her goals.  She has had many “wow moments” throughout her journey. One funny one that really sticks out to her is that her oldest boy, Austin, kept saying throughout her weight loss that she would never weigh less than him. She eventually was able to fit in his clothes and he still trash talked her saying she wouldn’t ever make it under his weight. On March 25, 2011, they weighed that morning and she weighed less than him by 2.4 lbs. All Austin could do was shake his head in amazement and laugh.  Her most precious wow moment was just recently at a birthday party at the gymnastics center. A bunch of the ladies got out on the trampoline and was jumping and acting like little kids and her 5 ½ year old, Joshua, came up to her and said “Mommy, jump with me” and he reached out his little hands to her and they held hands and jumped together laughing and playing. He told her after the party that it was his best day ever because he got to play with his mommy. She was so overjoyed she almost cried. She would have never gotten to be able to enjoy this precious moment if it hadn’t have been for the bariatric surgery.  She wants to thank Dr. Lee, his awesome staff and bariatric team, her husband, Brian, her family and friends for all their support and encouragement, Christina, the sales associate from the Loft who catered to her and made her feel so special for her fitting, and most importantly, she thanks God for giving her the strength, encouragement, deliverance, and freedom from bondage of food addiction. She thanks God for this blessed opportunity of a lifetime to be able to have this surgery and transform her life to a healthy, active life of enjoyment, happiness and peace.     

I had my fitting today for the Bariatric Fashion Show that is this Sunday, April 3, 2011.  My store that was chosen for me was "The Loft" at the Edinburgh Oulet Mall.  The sales associate that assisted me was Christina.  She was AMAZING!  She was so creative in coordinating different outfits for me to try on.  She is very skilled in trendy and stylish looks.  She catered to my every need and waited on me like I was a princess.  I felt soooooo wonderful and good about myself.  She really went above and beyond to put together the perfect outfit - something that looked like I stepped off a magazine cover.  I felt like a little girl trying on dress up clothes. :)  I walked out of her store with a big smile on my face that has lasted all day.  :)  To top it all off, my pants were a SIZE 6!  Woo hoo!  My shirt was XS! 

Well, I NEVER thought I would see the 130's again...EVER!  I have been so excited to see this journey come to a fulfillment and success.  Words cannot express the joy and excitement I have!  I thank God and my awesome family for such a strong support system.  I also thank all of my OH friends for their continued encouragement and support!  I LOVE OH and what it stands for - commitment, fellowship, helping one another along their journey, and great advice.  I could go on and on. :)

In just a few days I will be 9 months out!  I have come a LONG way, and am ready to endure this journey the rest of my life...but a healthier, happier life it is NOW!  I thank God for this second chance, this opportunity of a lifetime that is so priceless to me.  I have such a strong support system with my family and friends, and I can't thank my husband, Brian, enough for all he has done for me, and has been there for encouragement and strength. Update on status:  From a size 30/32 to a size 8, and from 265 lbs. to 141.6 lbs. - a loss so far of 123.4 lbs. WOO HOO! 

pic taken 3/22/11 at husband's Employee of Year Party!  

I went to Olive Garden Thursday, March 17, 2011 on a girl's day out with my mom, aunt, older sister, 2 nieces and a friend.  My friend and 2 nieces walked out of the restaurant before me and the waiter who was by the door was flirty and checking them out, but when I walked out after them, he couldn't take his eyes off ME!  HOW FUNNY!  I'm 37 years old and my nieces and friend are 20's.  I never thought I would be "checked out" like that again, let alone taking the spotlight off the younger girls LOL.  Although I am definitely happily married and my honey flirts with me all the time and makes me feel good about myself, I still swelled up inside knowing "I STILL GOT IT" LOL!