Maria P.

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I have hit a major stall. For nearly a week now I have stalled and in fact went up about 2 pounds. At first I attributed it to my cycle, but now that it's over and the scale has only dropped back about 1.4 pound I am a little concerned. But the weird thing is that it appears as if my body is shrinking. I can fit into smaller size clothes that I couldnt wear recently. I'm been experimenting and reading up on stalls and know that this is normal, but it is driving me crazy. I realize that I was not eating enough proteins and so I am trying to do better and I am very appreciative of those protein bullets from GNC. I drink them right before bedtime and I just ordered two cases full to help me get by. I also am watching more closely what I am putting into my mouth. I believe some of the fruit I have consumed may have too much sugar and so I am trying to eat only sugar free applesauce. If this last any longer I am going back to my NUT to see what she suggests. I am going to make this sleeve do what it is supposed to do. The most frustrating thing is not being able to eat enough protein during each meal. I am also trying harder to remember my B12 liquid spray as well. I'm also waiting a full 90 minutes to drink something instead of 30 minutes. I am trying eveything I can to make the scale continue dropping. Again, it's just so weird, because I can tell I have lost a lot of weight, the scale is just not caught up to it yet, if that makes any sense. On a different note I am getting ready to head out to D.C. on Saturday morning for the inauguration. I can't wait to be a part of such a historical event. I'll share pics when I return. Until my next post stay brave and strong.

Well I'm at 17 lbs down as of this morning and I started on my full liquids yesterday. I'm sticking to the theory (NUT's suggestion) anything that you can drink with a straw ie. I'm liquidfying eveything in a blender and then adding more liquid and enjoying. Yesterday I had grits, eggs, and ham with cheese, liquidfied with milk. It looked yucky but it was good. I also had a shrimp and crab meat soup from Whole Foods that I added mushroom broth to and blended right up for lunch, and for dinner I had vegetable beef soup liquified with mushroom broth. I have to make this work for me. I may not have eaten much of any of it before i was full. But hey, I didn't get sick and I still lost one pound overnight. I also had two smoothies in between and am trying to do better with the water. I am managing to get my exercise in as well, at least for every other day. I'm adding more time on the treadmill each time that I get on it. My clothes are already getting baggy. I am grateful for this sleeve. The funny thing is that the head hunger thing is real. Although I have not cheated, I have noticed that when I see junk food on tv it looks sooooo good still. I wonder if this will ever change or if it is just a part of me that I need to work on in order for it to go away. 

This evening we celebrated my mother's 69th B-day (PTL!). One of the guests at the party just so happened to be a 57 year old woman who had the sleeve over 2 years ago, when it was not as popular as it is now. Anyway, we immediately hit it off of course and she shared with me so many of her stories good, bad, and ugly. Some of the not so great highlights were due to some other plastic surgery related experiences so I won't go into detail except to say make sure that you know and trust your surgeons very well and that they are highly recommended. With that said, she shared with me what she does since she does not like to cook. She says that she will just go to the food court at the mall or the deli section of the local grocery store and ask for a sample. She says that she can get enough samples to actually fill up for that meal. Wow! Not I'm not gonna out myself, especially since I'm still on my boring clear liquids diet (7 days post op), but I'm just saying, make your knew pouch work for you right? LOL

She also said that when she lost too much weight she would add a cookie from Publix each day or eat skin on chicken to pick up the pounds. She also shared that her allergy to chicken worsened after the surgery and she developed a lactose intolerance to milk but not cheese. She showed me her scars and told me about wearing a full length girdle to help mold her body in the nice shape I saw this evening. She also shared that she did not touch a treadmill and barely exercised and the weight still came off. Now I do not and will not condone this type of attitude or behavior, but I thought I would share. I think some of the problems she also later suffered (like excess skin) may have been avoided or less severe had she taken the route to exercise and tone up a bit. But that was her decision and it is not mine. I have been getting around alot in the last three days and it still keep getting better.

Is it better to be a leader or a follower. For me, I chose to be a follower, a follower of the ones who have set a good example for changing my health and lifestyle. Will you lead, follow, and in the process serve as an example?

Well I'm back home and chilaxing at my parents house in their basement. Last night was the best rest I have gotten since the surgery. Wow! I can't even believe I actually did it, but then that nauseas feeling in my chest and stomach area bring me back to reality. But seriously, I'm not sure how many people go in and out of thoughts like- why did I do this permament thing to my body to wow I can't wait until this sickness ends and the weightloss begins. Well that's my brain lately. But one thing is for sure, I can't turn back the clock and it is what it is. It is so amazing how I went through like three days at the hospital and did not experience hunger like I usually would have after drinking only juices. This is simply amazing and I am getting a better picture on how it is going to help me shed these pounds once and for all. I am so ready to do the right thing by my body and my new pouch. I've asked my mother to take weekly photos of me so that I can share them on this website. I can't wait to see how much weight comes off in the coming months, but I guess I will have to. I have pretty much decided to avoid Christmas dinner all together so that I can get some rest, and work on my dissertation, while avoiding those sinfully delicious cuisines that got me in this predicament in the first place. On another note, I am wearing motion sickness wrist bands on my arms in hoping to make those funny feelings in my stomach go away. it's like whatever I drink I get this swaying feeling of juices in my body moving as I move. That's the best way I can describe it. It is however, getting a lot better and I am able to drink a lot more than I could while I was in the hospital.   Well that's it for now.

Well people, this is it. Just a few hours until I join the club of the sleevers. Last night I kept saying Holy Cow (as if I'm Hindi), but I also asked God for his grace, mercy, and hand of proctection over all of his down her for this surgery as well as the hospital and surgical team. I am convinced that this is the best thing that I cna do for myself and am happy my parents eventually agreed and even helped with the finances. Yesterday was a looooooong day. We arrived at the Atlanta airport around 7:00 a.m. there was some traffic to be expected, especially with this timme of year, but the passenger screening line was short and sweet. We made it through and before we knew it they were calling out flight. I knew I had a small window of opportunity to eat a little something in the protein meal and so my mother asked the flight attendant if she could bring us something right away. So she brough this turkey and cheese Sandwich with Cranberry bread. I enjoyed a few pinches of the meat and cheese and was satisfied. The flight was smooth and we participated on one of those onboard trivia games Delta airlines has for long distance flights -we won over 8 people. Not that I am that brilliant, although I like to think I am. LOL . But truth be told, I think there is a secret to winning at that game, because I have also won once before in the past. When I don't know the answer I choose "c". I think that's what they teach children when they are test taking. So hey if it works for them why not me. LOLS

So after we land at the airport we call Dr. Aceves people and ask where the driver is. Turned out Ernesto took a day off to take care of some business and so Frederico picked us up. We had to wait for another former patient of Dr. Aceves who was having problems with her lap band. It was so neat to meet and speak with her because she and I share the same name, Maria. That name was very popular and I heard at least 2 people being paged at the airport while I was there, kind of a weird experience that reminded me of when I was in Egypt this past summer and everyone was nammed Muhammad. like there are over 1,000,000 Muhammad's there. So I digress, Maria admitted to not being the best about following doctor's orders with her band and that is why she was having the problem. She shared that she did, however, loose over 100 lbs slowly, but that her father who had the sleeve surgery had dropped most of his weight in less than a year (February 08). Maria stated she had such severe problems with the band that at one point she was could not eat and only drink. She wound up going into surgery to have the band removed. I think that's just what she wanted. She mentioned if she new about the sleeve back then she would have chosen that. One bit of news she shared with me was quite interesting. She noted that they do not tell you about how they glue your breasts down so they are not a hindrance or move during the surgery. She said they use this stick yellow/orangish bond adhesive and it is still on you after the surgery. I'm not sure if every doctor uses that but they do down here apparently. 

Well time is running out for us to meet the driver, no need to go rouge just yet LOL. I'll write more once I get to the hospital and get settled in to my room.



Measurements
Head 22 1/2
Neck 14
Biceps lt 17  rt 17 1/2
Bust 41 1/2 top 46  mid 48
waist 44
Hips 45
Thighs lt 30 rt 31
calfs lt 17 1/2 rt 18
Back 18 1/2 across
shoulder sleeve line 18 across
shoulder to pelvic joint 26 3/4

1) My back aches.
2) My three pack (rolls of fat on my side).
3) My breathing hard and friends can hear it when we talk on the phone like I'm darth vadar.
4) My bloating all the time.
5) The pain in my colon area.
6) The rolls of fat between my legs that I feel when I am sitting down.
7) My insatiable stomach - the endless pit.
8) My sweet tooth.
9) My fat arms that swing in the wind.
10) My flat behind. What happened to "Baby's got back?"

Well it's not long now. I have just four more days until my big day. My first time in a hospital for overnight stay. I pray to God that all goes well without any problems or drama. I also pray for fast healing.

I am still in a state of shock on how things have turned around. Lately, I have been feeling a little down and in the dumps. The stress at work is unbelievable. The students and their families are struggling and I have to help them find resources - food to eat, housing for shelter, and teaching students how to deal with teachers and families that are dealing with substance abuse, violence and what not. Then on top of that to come home to an empty home no loved one here for me. Well sometimes it can be very depressing. But I promise myself I will not rush into a relationship just because of my biological clock sreaming at me everyday. Nope, not gonna do it. I did that with the first husband and we see where that got me-no where and in a bad situation. So I will wait on God and in the meantime, work on myself by going through with this surgery. Now, what I did not see coming was the fact that because I could not find the financing, my father agreed to let me use one of his credit cards to cover the remaining amount I needed to borrow for the surgery. So, OMG, this is real. It is finally about to come to pass. Now I really need to get serious about my exercising and preparations for the high protein diet the Dr. wants me to follow in order to make my liver smaller for the surgery. Wow. This entire year has been so surreal, what with me going to Egypt and then Obama winning the election, and now I am finally going to be able to successfully lose a large amount of weight. Whew! Thank you Lord. I am emotionally going through a lot, but mentally I know I need to start preparing for the new way of eating to live and not living to eat. I know this is going to be a big change, but if not now when? Immediately after ordering the plane tickets for San Diego, I went online to Unjury.com and ordered my protein drinks to have ready and waiting for me when I return. I also need to plan a trip to BJ's to have plenty of water bottles for me to use at home and work. I also need to just make a list and get the items I need. I already am in a routine with the vitamins and am ready to make this change to be on the loser's bench. Thank you Lord. I didn't see it coming.  Stay tuned.

Well Thanksgiving weekend is winding down and I am reflecting on my time with family. I drove down to Savannah with my parents an oldest nephew Khari. It was a pleasant drive and I was happy my father drove all the way their and back.I do not mind driving but was in need of some relaxation, so my mother and i chilled in the backseat. The mini family reunion was held in a rental home right on the intracoastal. I stayed at a hotel with my cousin Deniece who is moving to Egpyt on the 23 of December. While I was there I was insulted by two relatives about my weight. My rolling stone uncle Donald asked me if I broke the swing on the boat house dock when I explain I had a splinter in my rear end from when I sat in it. The next insult came whenI went to eat a piece of cake after Turkey Day dinner. Cousin Joyce who is overweight herself and has a daughter twice my size and a granddaughter three times my size had some nerve to add her two cents as i sat down with my cake-"all right now, a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips," she comments. As if i do not already know this. I do not let this get to me though. I use my passive aggressive personality to strike back without her even knowing it. I pick up my phone and text message my sister and cousin who were both still sitting at the table with me when she said that to me, the message said "I feel like saying shut up lady". It was quite funny because we all had a good laugh at her and she did not even know it, so I remained respectful in her eyes...LOL.
But I share all this because I had a secret. I am getting my weight under control and Lord willing next year when they see me they will not have anything to say, but then again they probably will, but so what. Not my problem, Im going to live, love, laugh, eat and enjoy life.

I have yet to find anyone willing to fly with me to San Diego for the flight to Mexico. So today, I asked my mother. But let me back it up and explain how it came to be so. Telling my mother was the very last thing I wanted to do, but the doctor who performed my Upper Endoscopy today asked when was my surgery date and who was my doctor, this would not have been so bad, had my mother not been sitting right in the room. But I did list her name on my HIPPA list so it was all on me. So anyway, my mother pretended like she didn't just hear what she heard, but I broke down and told her because honestly I felt like I could not fly all the way to Mexico without my parents knowing. Of course, at first she was against it when I hinted at it before the doctor spilled the beans. What happened was that I mentioned that since I woke up in the recovery room after having the Endoscopy and I said to her now I know that I can handle being out for the weight loss surgery because it would be about the same length of time, just a bit more pain in the abdominal area. So anyway, back to me telling her, I explained all of my reasons for choosing to have the surgery and my option to have it done in Mexico instead of in the U.S. I shared how I continue to have ovarian cysts even though I am on the pill and loosing weight will help me to avoid these painful cysts. I also went on to explain that these cysts need to be dealt with in order for me to get pregnant without trying forever. I also explained that I would be avoiding the Diabetes that she is now fighting off and that her brother has and her mother also had. I continued to explain how I am in constant back pain and how this surgery will help me aleviate all of these problems. I also explained how the surgery is just a tool or crutch to help me not overeat which she has seen me do. I reminded her of when I believe was the day that I stretched my stomach beyond its limit. It was the day of the pigout at McDonald's when I was in Middle school and one an award for being a top seller of candles. I literally ate so much food I could barely walk. I wanted to throw up so bad but could not. All I could do was lay in bed and pray the food went down. Back to present day 2008, here I am an overeater seeking to finally get a grip on this problem before it takes a stronghold over me. So to wrap things, up, mom, was like, I fully understand now and I will be there for you because I wouldn't want you to go it alone. I said good because that was my plan, to go it alone and she said not anymore. Whew!!!! Now I just need to get the funding all secured. Stay tuned....

The more I do the math and run the numbers the more it is adding up to have the surgery with Dr. Aceves in Mexico. I feel confident in him as much as I do Dr. Smith, but also need to be more realistic about not being in debt if I can aovid it. It's like self-paying patients with little means have to consider traveling out of the U.S. to have health care needs taken care of. This is true in so many aspects. So unless I find a "Big Poppa" to take care of my expenses here in the good ole U.S. of A, it's San Diego Airport to Mexicali I go. If you are reading this and would like to make a donation to the United Supporters of Maria Fund, just give me a shout out and I'll tell you where to mail the money order or cashier check. LOL. I'm serious. ;-) .

Stay tuned....