More about Me ( You asked for it lol )

Many of you asked to have me share more about me, so you ask and you shall receive :) Im a 26 year old military wife and mother of two boy's. I got pregnant with my first child at only 17 years old and the rest is history :) I have SEVERE PCOS and have had PCOS since I had my first child all those years ago :) Food has never really been my enemy as much as habbit has. I have terrible eating habbits. I go without eating very often and then binge and grab and jam anything into my mouth I can find in a large meal late at night. Along with my chemical imbalances and genetics, that makes a 250 lb girl :( I have a estimated surgery date for sometime in Dec or January and I cant wait! After losing and gaining and losing and gaining I finaly decided I HAD to do something. Im concerned about how much my new eating habbits will effect my routine. I know that alot of the reason I dont eat all day is because I have no energy due to my health. And I know I'll get more energy as I lose weight but I also know I have a habbit of putting everyone before myself...so that concerns me. I do have a handle on and a large understanding of what has to happen in order for this to work out to my benifit. Im also lucky with having clode friends that have had the surgery...But currently that;s my issue. Im sure I'll find many more before it's through. So that's me. Oh...Almost forgot. I almost made it onto the Biggest loser this year and after speaking with several of past contestants Im glad I didnt due to some inside info that blew my mind. Anyhow after trying out for the show for two years in a row and getting close and being let down plus losing 22lbs last year and gaining back 28lbs in a matter of weeks...I just time I get something doen so I can live my life the way I want to live it...not the uncomfortable, sheltered life Ive been leading ... Brandi~

Brandi, So very nice to meet you.I took a peek at your pictures. You are stunning .  I am 3 years post op. I started this journey at 325 . I now weigh 122 . From a size 26 to now size 3 . I just had my second round of plastics ... so I am on my second leg of this journey .  One thing I can honestly tell you from your posting is , to really examine your eating habits now and start getting them into check . With Gastric Bypass , your stomach changes, your entire digestion changes ... but not your head ... and your way of thinking about food will transfer over if you do not start to re-evaluate the way  you look at food .  I was so fortunate that I used the time before my surgery to do just that . Did I get pefect at it .. No , but I was able to determine what my trigger moments where and How to overcome them . Have I been perfect at it all .. No .. but I made my mind up early out that If I did this to my body to get healthy , I damn sure was not going to sabotage it .  This is not a diet .. this is a lifestyle for life . You will forever think about your food intake , your vitamins and all your suppliments each and everyday . This is harder than any diet you will ever come across .  I would suggest that you continue to read profiles here on OH.Perhaps make an appointment to see a nutrictionist , and start preparing for this life changing event that is about to take place. You have 6 months... you will be amazed at all you will learn in that time .  Remember we are here for you as well . There is a wealth of info here for you . Best wishes to you and just know that if you Believe you can achieve ~~  Always,  Tink

Thank you so much for the sweet comments. And also for the good advice that is seeming to become repeatitive in a good way, everyone is telling me to start doing the same things, so your all on the basic same page and that excites me about following the advice!

I will be seeing a nutritionnist through the surgery team it is maditory in the process. Im also going to take advantage of a support group full of people that have had and our going to be having the wls at the hospital where Im going to be going. They meet every Thursday or something of the sort :)

Brandi, thanks for telling us more about yourself.  Natalie had some good advice.  Try and make as many changes to your habits as you can now.  Start cutting out your caffiene, sodas, ect. and drinking only water, crystal light, sugar free drinks etc.  That will help make the transition easier.  Start taking vitamin supplements now, a good multi vitamin, iron, vitamin c, etc to get your levels up to help your healing & to get you in the habit of doing it.  Also try and structure eating into your schedule.  It is so important to make sure you get the required meals in after surgery.  If you don't eat, your body will go into starvation mode and will make losing harder, you won't get the vitamins & nutrients you need and you will feel yucky.  You can teach yourself now easy things to change that will help.  Get some protein shake samples, find some you like and start drinking one for breakfast or lunch.  Do things that are quick and easy, oatmeal, cottage cheese, yogurt, lunch meat roll ups, etc.  Things you can just grab and eat on the go.  Protein bars can also work the same way.  Remember that you will need whey protein, little to no sugar or sugar alcohols.  Some sites to try (and you can get some sample packs instead of buying a whole jug) are www.vitaminlady.com, and www.unjury.com.  My favortie is the Isopure Dutch Chocolate.  Start learning different combos of shakes.  The extra protein will help with your healing too.  Start changing the eating habits at home for your hubby & kids too.  Start fixing more lean protein meats, more fruits & veggies.  That way when your surgery time gets here you are already making healthy meals that you can eat and not having to make two seperate meals all the time.  I found that it was much easier for me to make sure the meals were something I could eat also, it saved time, energy and helped me mentally.  During my pureed food stage I just threw whatever was on the table into the blender and had what I needed.  I really found that in the begining having to teach myself to regulate everything was the hardest.  Having to plan everything around my schedule was so frustrating.  Once I got it ingrained it became so natural and I pretty much have the same eating routine/schedule everyday.  It becomes second nature and I don't even think about it. We are all here for you and even if it seems scary and daunting you are strong and you can do it.

Courtney .. awesome ... sodas...and caffiene... those where the hardest for me ...  I am sure that Brandi will do awesome ... and with all of our info and help ... she is surely to do great ...  Hope this finds you well .... Nat

Great advice and thank for the links!!!!!!!!

Im lucky in that I HATE sodas and normally all I drink is water but I do LOVE sweet tea...lol

I think my biggest issue is going to be not drinking while eating...and of course taking the time for me so it is a REALLY good idea to get started now! I just love to drink all day long...Im a thirsty girl all day.

Good morning Brandi, I see some very real similarities in you and myself and where I was when I began my WLS journey. I'd actually pursued surgery twice. The first time was back in 1998 and decided there HAD to be other things I was going to try. In 2000 I got preggers with my oldest daughter and it was very tough. I gave birth to her 2 1/2 months early and in the process we both nearly lost our lives. For almost 2 months following she fought each and every day to get healthier and stronger. I already knew that something would be done but she gave me even more of a reason. If she fought as would I. I had Lap RNY on 1-29-03 and it is one of the BEST decisions I've ever made. I would do it again although it won't be necessary. Nearly 4 years later I am happier, healthier and more determined than I have been in YEARS. The road to get here where I sit this am has been bumpy but its also been AMAZING. I've learned many lessons some harder than others but I'm stronger and my faith and beliefs in God and his healing powers and the power of prayer have grown more each day.  I assure you the concerns you have we've all shared or are sharing and its normal. Your eating habits will change quite dramatically. It is important to arm yourself with as much knowledge as you can. Its wonderful to have friends and family in my case who've had surgery as well. Its great that you are here on OH as well so that you can grow that circle of friends/family as well are educating yourself on the ins, outs, dos and donts of surgery and everything in between. There are many here who bring so much to the table and can share their stories and although we can't squash all the worries and concerns we can certainly try to relieve some of them.  Its never too late to start focusing on things you can do NOW to prepare yourself for a lot of the initial changes. For example, my surgery wasn't until Jan but I started walking almost 3 1/2 months before surgery. I walked a little bit each day to try and build my legs/strength up for surgery. You can begin by removing things from your daily diet that will make it eaiser when your big day arrives. As Courtney mentioned letting alone sodas and picking up with Crystal Light and other forms of no sugar added, caffeine free drinks. Changing your cooking cannot only be healthy for you but your family as well. Going from fried to baked and grilled, using regular sugar to no sugar added or sugar substitutes (Splenda/Equal), using better cooking oils, eating more protein and less carbs and more. All things you can do subtly so that it doesn't seem as if everything is being taken away. I have to say it was easier than I thought to get my family on board with my new eating habits. Since I am the main cook and grocery shopper and I have to be more conscience about what I eat I have more control over what is purchased and brought into the house. I caught some fights at first but overall even right down to some things I cannot eat (spaghetti) I have effectively changed the menu for that. Instead of just any type of pasta I get wheat pasta, use a low sugar sauce and we use meat flavoring in it. Simple changes works wonders. We are ALL healthier because of my education and learning!  We're help to help you along the way!

Thank you all so much. You guy's are all awesome to take time out of your lifes to share splendid advice with a stranger! Thank you all so much! Brandi~